


The Impossible, Probable

by Fraulein



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Darcy Lewis is Tony Stark's Daughter, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-05-15 11:50:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 114,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14789978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fraulein/pseuds/Fraulein
Summary: Traces the journey Darcy and Tony take to find one another.  Explores the consequences of discovering that Darcy is Tony's daughter.





	1. Darcy vs. SHIELD

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to thestancyg for the multiple beta reads and for helping generate story ideas. It cannot be stressed enough that this story improved substantially due to your input.

SHIELD showed up two weeks after Jane left for Norway. A handful of agents waltzed into the dealership and began unplugging equipment. Darcy was on her feet and yelling in seconds, only to be manhandled into a corner.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she yelled at the agent looming over her as screens went black and data disappeared.

“Miss, we’re here to collect Dr. Foster’s equipment and research. If you could just step aside so we can complete our task,” the congenial agent explained while holding Darcy firmly in place.

“You can’t just come in here and take our stuff. We’ve been over this. You guys agreed to let us be as long as Jane keeps you in the loop. Hey- that’s mine!” Darcy objected, pulling away and rushing to grab her laptop out of the offending agent’s hands.

“Miss, we need all materials related to Dr. Foster’s research-”

“Yeah, well, this is my laptop,” Darcy said cutting the agent off. “It doesn’t have her research on it. It’s got my thesis on it so you can’t have it. And you can’t take anything else until you explain what’s going on!” Darcy exclaimed, running to block an agent pushing the telescope toward the door. 

Calmly pulled out of the way by the first agent, Darcy could only watch as the telescope was pushed out the door, up a ramp and into a waiting truck where another agent wrapped it in blankets.

“We’re here to collect Dr. Foster’s research and take it to her,” the agent explained. “If you could pack up your things, we can-”

“Where’s Jane?!” Darcy demanded as she turned from the room and focused on the agent before her. 

“Dr. Foster has been relocated to a secure location to continue her research-”

“Relocated? She’s not in Norway?” Darcy asked, worriedly. “I need to talk to her. There is no way she would have agreed to you coming in here and taking everything without talking to me first.”

“Miss, either step aside or I will need to use more force than I think this situation calls for,” the agent said in a detached but firm tone while using his height advantage to send his message home. Darcy took a step back, intimidated despite feeling adamant that she was in the right. 

Dismay sped through Darcy as she watched the three other agents rapidly take the lab apart. The threat that had been hanging over their heads was happening. SHIELD was taking Jane’s research. They had done it once before and there was nothing she could do to stop them from doing it again. 

Standing with her laptop clutched to her chest Darcy’s defensive posture slowly released in defeat. She could do nothing as she watched agents pack away the gear they usually took in the van. They ignored the kitchen area, her bedroom, and the actual office equipment, and the dealership quickly became a skeleton of the lab it once was. One of the agents made a feint toward her desk but was waved off by the agent standing over her. Realizing she was still being held back, Darcy pulled away and went to stand warily next to her desk as she watched them destroy everything she had helped Jane build. 

The agent that had been guarding her began to shift through the papers on her desk saying, “We’ll need to go through everything you have to make sure all of Dr. Foster’s work is collected. You won’t need it.”

“All of Jane’s work is on her desk and over there,” Darcy said, gesturing to the tables loaded down with materials. “Everything here is mine.” She watched as he thumbed through her notes on UN sanctions against North Korea and stiffened when she heard him snort disparagingly over them. 

“I’ll need to be sure,” the agent replied, pulling open one of her desk’s drawers. Rifling through it he found folders filled with political science notes, papers from past semesters, and a print out of a rough draft.

“That’s my paper on the Cold War’s impact on global relations in the current geopolitical environment. I highly doubt Jane is going to be needing that,” Darcy wryly observed. 

“So nothing here pertains to Dr. Foster’s research?” the agent asked, glancing up at her skeptically.

“No. Like I said, it’s all over there,” Darcy responded derisively, gesturing toward the tables. Her tone quickly changed to outrage as she watched an agent enter Jane’s trailer. “Hey, our research isn’t in Jane’s trailer. Why are you going in there?” 

“We’ve been tasked with gathering all of Dr. Foster’s belongings.”

“So you’re just going to pack up her trailer and take it?” Darcy doubted it could be that easy, but as she watched an agent hook the trailer up to an SUV, she began to see just how serious they were. 

“None of this really involves you,” the agent said, brushing off her concern. “If you could just pack up your things so we can go?” he said, waving toward her room.

“So, I’m coming with you?” Darcy questioned doubtfully, knowing as she said it that was not the case and that he most likely meant she needed to leave as well.

“We’re only here to close down the facility now that Dr. Foster no longer has a use for it,” the agent said as he placed a briefcase on Darcy’s desk.

“Wait a minute. What about me? Where am I supposed to go?” she asked dismayed, fear creeping over her as he opened the briefcase and ignored what she was saying. 

“That really isn’t our concern. Now if-“

“Wait. What am I supposed to do?” Darcy demanded. Panic setting in as it became blindingly clear where this was going. 

“I’m sure you can make other arrangements. Now if you could sign these -” the agent said as he tried to place a manila folder before Darcy.

Scared though she was by the agent’s demeanor and the circumstances, Darcy was determined to hold her ground, and said, “No, I can’t just make other arrangements. This is the middle of nowhere. It’s not like I can just get a hotel room. So slow down. You can’t just throw me out.” 

The agent scowled at her, frustration beginning to ruffle his unflappable demeanor. “We can have this wrapped up quickly if you could just sign these and finish your packing.”

Darcy took a slow breath, ignored the fear that was gnawing at her and said, “You’re not getting rid of me that easily. I’m not leaving. We just paid three months’ rent on this place and utilities had to have a deposit, too. I have no place to go and no way to get there. I’m staying.” When he didn’t respond she appealed to him saying, “I know I can’t stop you from taking Jane’s stuff but do you really need to throw me out?”

Glancing around and taking in Darcy’s bedroom, the kitchenette, the bathroom the agent coolly pulled up a chair to her desk and slapped down the folder he had been trying to give her. “You sign these and we’ll leave you the keys. You can stay as long as you like.”

“Great,” Darcy muttered resentfully, as she sat down and pulled the folder closer, mollified that if she did what he asked he would at least let her have the dealership. 

“They’re non-disclosure agreements. They cover your time with Dr. Foster and any interaction you’ve had with SHIELD. You just need to sign them,” the agent said, hastily.

Nothing in the NDAs surprised her. They looked like the same standard forms she had signed when Thor made his appearance. It wasn’t until she got to the last one that she became alarmed. It explicitly stated she would never contact Dr. Jane Foster again. Any attempts to do so would be in breach of the NDA which would be punishable to the full extent of the law, including imprisonment. 

“Are you kidding?” Darcy sputtered in shock, looking up from the document in alarm. “I’m not going to sign this!” 

“Miss Lewis, these are standard forms,” the agent said impatiently. “You are finished with your employment with Dr. Foster and should have no further need to speak with her. You need to sign them.”

“No. That’s not going to happen,” Darcy said adamantly, outrage overcoming fear. “This is crazy. You can’t just tell me I can’t talk to her ever again. That’s insane.”

“Yes, we can,” the agent insisted. “This is highly sensitive information that you no longer need to be a party to. Dr. Foster can continue her work without you. It’s my understanding that you don’t actually do any research, that you are a political science student? I can’t foresee that she will need much assistance in that area,” the agent said snidely.

Darcy gaped at him for a second, stunned by what he had said but then she remembered how SHIELD had always disregarded her and it suddenly made sense. She looked away and then with a bitter, sarcastic laugh she said, “That’s right, I’m just an intern. SHIELD doesn’t think I’m qualified to do anything.” 

Shaking her head, Darcy looked at the agent and said, “Sure, I’m her intern, but more than that, Jane’s my friend. You can’t just tell someone they can’t talk to their friends. That’s all I want – to make sure she’s ok.”

“I can assure you Dr. Foster is fine,” the agent said impatiently. “Now if you could just sign this last page we can wrap things up here.” 

“No, I can’t just sign this! I want to talk to Jane. I haven’t heard from her in almost 2 weeks. Ever since New York. What have you done with her?” Darcy demanded to know, desperation overcoming fear.

“As I have said repeatedly, Dr. Foster is fine,” the agent said curtly. “She is in a secure location where she can complete her research without being disturbed and where she will receive more suitable support. If she chooses to contact you, that is up to her. I have no idea why you haven’t heard from her but that is not my concern. My concern is closing down this facility.”

“I’m not signing this. There is no way you’re making me,” Darcy said, unwavering. SHIELD may be a big secret agency but they were in the wrong and she was determined to stick to her guns. 

The agent scowled at her, saying, “Miss Lewis. You do not have a choice. You need to sign-” 

“Or, what?” Darcy asked, raising her voice in defiance. “All I want to do is it talk to her. That’s it. What’s the big deal?” 

The agent glared at Darcy, angered by her belligerence and lack of compliance. He leaned forward, slammed his hand on the form between them and said furiously, “You will sign this form. I can make this transition easy or difficult for you. I can take everything in this building and leave you with nothing but the clothes on your back. It’s your choice.”

Darcy stared at the man whose placid demeanor had shifted to something dark and mean. He glared at her, clearly ready to force her to comply. She sat frozen in her chair, pinned by the hostility emanating from the man and knew without a doubt he would follow through on his threat. Scared though she was, she desperately searched for a solution. It took a moment of quick thinking, but Darcy had one last hope and said slowly, “Ok, so if you know Jane is fine then you’ve seen her or at least are able to communicate with her, right? I mean if she’s with SHIELD, then you guys should be able to get a message to her.”

The agent sat back in his chair and considered her for a moment before snidely saying, “If you would like to communicate with Dr. Foster, you may do so by contacting SHIELD directly and ask that a message be conveyed to her. If she chooses to follow up with you that is her choice. Now, sign the form.” 

“So, just to be clear. I can’t actually contact Jane directly, but I can contact SHIELD and ask you to get a message to her?” Darcy asked skeptically. She didn’t think much of the solution being offered but her options were limited and it at least this appeared to be one.  


“That is what I just said,” the agent answered impatiently. 

Darcy considered him for a moment before asking cynically, “What guarantee do I have that you’ll actually give her the message?” She highly doubted that SHIELD would actually help her. Why would they when they were going to such extremes to cut her off.

“Ms. Lewis, SHIELD is not in the business of policing our employees’ communication. I’m sure messages are conveyed to Dr. Foster on a regular basis. I don’t know what other assurance I can offer you,” the agent answered waspishly. 

“I want a contact number for SHIELD. An email address and a physical address that I can send mail to,” Darcy demanded, all the while wondering if they would do her any good. 

“Fine. Now sign the form,” the agent ordered, with a hard glare.

They starred at one another for a long moment before Darcy slowly leaned forward and hesitantly put pen to paper. She didn’t like the very vague deal she had brokered but she knew she had little choice. Darcy had little doubt the agent could easily throw her out and leave her on the street with nothing. She glanced up at the agent and back down at the non-disclosure agreement and with a shake of her head, slowly signed the form. 

Minutes after Darcy signed the last NDA, agents finished gathering Jane’s belongings. She sat at her desk and watched as they sidestepped chairs and whiteboards they had no use for and rolled the last box away. They ignored her as they moved quickly out the door and into the waiting trucks. As the door swung shut, Darcy stared numbly after them. While the dealership had always been open and airy, now it was an empty, desolate space, littered with wayward lamps, and random office supplies. Jane’s trailer and van had been carted off along with the rest of their equipment and Darcy was left with little more than a coffee maker and toaster oven. She counted herself lucky she had been left that much.

It took a minute for Darcy to relax her grip on her laptop. She stared at it vacantly, reassuring herself that it, at least, was still there. The anger and panic she had felt while SHIELD was there dissipated leaving her feeling afraid and alone. She was shaken by what had just happened. They had taken everything worthwhile, except her laptop. Pressure built behind her eyes and her throat strained as the emotions she had been pushing away came bubbling to the surface. She took a shaky breath and a few tears fell. Darcy missed Jane and was worried for her, but more than anything she was scared and at a loss as to what to do next. Trembling, she sat at her desk and brushed away tears. 

Three hours ago Darcy had been transcribing data she had gathered just the night before. Now she had a half a set of data points recorded and the rest of the information would be useless without the reference material she was using. On the upside, since SHIELD presumed Darcy didn’t contribute to Jane’s research they had only given her desk a cursory search. They hadn’t even glanced at Darcy’s own work beyond her political science papers. They had completely missed the materials she was using for her thesis. 

With all the equipment stripped from the room the interior of the dealership was visible from every direction, from the street through to the kitchen. Feeling exposed and vulnerable Darcy locked the front doors and stepped back toward the kitchenette to take what little cover the area offered. She suddenly didn’t feel safe in a space that had previously felt like home. The vacant room was overwhelming in its expansiveness. Needing to escape the creeping sense of dread and helplessness Darcy hastily gathered her purse and laptop and headed to the diner. 

The diner offered a refuge from her trying morning. Darcy ordered some coffee and set about putting SHIELDs contact information to use. She needed to reach Jane and could only hope that her email made it through. Doubt ate at her as she composed her message. If SHIELD was so adamant that she not communicate with Jane, why would they bother to forward an email? And just why was SHIELD so determined to keep Darcy away from her? 

Darcy wanted to yell at Jane for disappearing and leaving her alone to deal with SHIELD. When Jane got the invitation to go Norway they both agreed it would work out best if Darcy stayed behind. She would continue collecting data and work on her thesis. Jane would check out the observatory, give a few lectures and then she would come home. But, Darcy hadn’t heard from her since shortly after the invasion in New York. Darcy worried she had somehow gotten involved in its aftermath and SHIELDs sudden appearance made it seem like a distinct possibility. A wormhole showing up over Manhattan was exactly the type of phenome Jane would want to study. 

Cognizant that the email she composed would be read by SHIELD, Darcy kept it professional. She asked that her message be forward to Jane as soon as possible. Within it she asked Jane to contact her and provided her contact information. She updated her on SHIELD’s confiscation of her research and equipment. Darcy explained that she would need to make arrangements to return to Culver if Jane did not plan to return to New Mexico and asked for clarification on her status. 

Darcy wanted to ask if Jane planned to continue on as her academic advisor and just what she was supposed to do about her thesis if she withdrew her support. She didn’t think Jane would desert her as she knew the turmoil Darcy had gone through with the dean of the engineering school. But she had been gone for two weeks and with SHIELD appropriating all of her work, Darcy had to acknowledge that it was possible she really had been left to fend for herself.

It was an unsettling thought, though not exactly a new experience. Darcy had been more or less on her own since she was 11. She had spent her early teen years in foster homes after her parents died and only got out of the system when she left for college at 16. She had been looking after herself for a long time. The lab wasn’t exactly a home but between them and Erik by extension, they had formed a unit that could be considered family like. Darcy had come to rely on it. Now though, she had been cast adrift and it appeared that once again she would need to find her own way.

Darcy had a few things going for her. She had just been to Albuquerque shopping so she had groceries to see her through another week. She had about $200 from petty cash and Jane’s research program’s credit card. Darcy hated to consider using those funds to finance her trip back to Culver but she might not have much choice. 

She emailed SHIELD daily and took to calling them at random times of the day and night hoping one of her messages would make it through. Darcy couldn’t fathom Jane simply ignoring her, although she had no trouble believing SHIELD would. They had made it abundantly clear they didn’t think Darcy was qualified to be working for Jane and had done everything in their power to end the relationship. 

Another week passed without hearing from Jane, and dread began to build. Darcy had to face the fact that she wasn’t coming back. She resisted the idea that Jane would simply abandon her, but Darcy also needed to take steps to salvage what she could of her own work. She would have to go back to Culver and talk to the dean about getting another mentor for her thesis. There was no point in staying in New Mexico. 

Darcy immediately ran into trouble when she tried to purchase a ticket for her flight back to Virginia. The website wouldn’t accept Jane’s credit card. After trying and failing repeatedly, Darcy called the card company, sick at heart, knowing the worst was happening. As she feared, the account had been closed. 

Unprepared for the possibility that she would lose the little bit of security the card granted her, Darcy bit back a few scared tears. Fear ate at her, knowing she was in more trouble than she was prepared for and that she had no one to turn to for help. She had been sure that Jane would contact her. That she would have an explanation that centered around being caught up in science, different time zones and electronics issues. But it had been three weeks without word and now the best means Darcy had of getting back to Culver was gone. She had been effectively abandoned. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Jane was gone. 

Taking stock of her resources Darcy came to a grim conclusion. She could afford a bus ticket from Albuquerque to Virginia with her own limited funds. It would be a long, uncomfortable trip but it was significantly cheaper than a plane ticket. She just couldn’t believe Jane would simply leave her in Puente Antiguo. She trusted that the friendship they had built would endure but she needed to take action, even if it that action began with cutting ties.


	2. Tony vs. SHIELD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony gets some big news and has to decide what to do with it. SHIELD is, as always, a challenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is close to completion. I will try to post every few days as rewrites occur. 
> 
> Thank you thestancyg for beta reading. You were an immense help and improved the story significantly.

People didn’t just walk into Tony Stark’s workshop. Even with as much damage as it had suffered during the battle, Stark Tower was a veritable fortress. Or, at least it should have been. Looking up to see Natasha Romanoff casually stroll through the door was not something he expected. Nor was the USB drive she tossed on the table nearest to the screen he was working at. It bounced and came to rest next to his coffee cup. Glancing down at the small piece of tech and over to the spy he asked, “Yes? Can I help you with something Agent Romanoff?”

“Actually, this is something that might help you,” she responded cryptically.

Tony glanced at her, his skepticism clear as he picked up the small drive. “What could you be offering that I need?”

“I’m not offering. I’m just the messenger. It’s from Phil,” Natasha said somberly. 

Tony paused before looking at her and then down at the piece of plastic. Recovering quickly, he asked, “Well, what could Agent want to give me?” as he tossed the drive in the air and caught it.

“He left it at a drop the day before he died. Whatever it is, he wanted to make sure it would get to you,” Natasha replied solemnly.

“Ah-ha. And, you don’t know what it is?” Tony asked skeptically. 

“No. It was clear it was your eyes only. I can respect that,” the spy responded coolly. 

“Oh. Well, good. So, what could it be? What could it be?” Tony sing-songed as he inserted the drive into the nearest tablet. With a quick flip of the device, files popped open on the holographic screen before him. A picture of a young woman and a variety of SHIELD reports materialized. The two stood for a moment looking at the reports that appeared on screen.

“New Mexico? Do you know anything about New Mexico?” Tony asked, unsure what he was looking at, as he swept through the documents mid-air. “And who’s this?” waving at a photo of the young brunette. 

“Tony?” Natasha said, with quiet urgency, pointing to a report.

Grabbing at the document, he enlarged its pages. They were results of a paternity test and listed the probability of paternity is 99.9996% and the father as Anthony Edward Stark. 

“Romanoff?!” 

“I didn’t know.”

“Why would SHIELD be including me in a paternity test? Where is this coming from?!” Tony demanded, quickly recovering from his momentary shock.

“Look, she’s a civilian. She was part of the group that made first contact with Thor in New Mexico,” the agent hurried to point to another document. “They took blood samples during her debrief to determine if she had been exposed to anything alien. It’s standard procedure.”

“So running a paternity test is standard procedure?” he questioned sarcastically, agitated by what he was seeing. 

Natasha ignored his question and continued sorting through the file on the screen. Finally, she pointed to another document. “Here, there is a time lag of three weeks between the sample being taken and the final results.”

“I repeat, is running a paternity test standard procedure?”

The agent stepped back and looked at him and passively said, “I wouldn’t say it was standard procedure, but it’s not uncommon for DNA analysis to be cross-checked across the database. We need to read the file and see if there was a reason or if it was just a random check where they got lucky.”

“And, another thing, where did SHIELD get my DNA?” Tony demanded, looking at her expectantly. He was fairly confident that the spy had been responsible for gathering his sample. 

The redhead shrugged nonchalantly as she flipped through the files. “Darcy Lewis. She’s a 21-year-old Culver student. She was an intern for a Dr. Jane Foster, an astrophysicist, in New Mexico when Thor landed a year ago.”

“SHIELD has known about this for a year and didn’t say anything?” Tony questioned in disbelief. “I can’t believe – no, I can believe.” Continuing to grumble as he read, he began to evaluate the file.

“He wanted to make sure you knew,” Natasha offered earnestly.

“What? Oh… you mean Agent,” Tony nodded in agreement. “Wonder why he decided to share now?”

“Jarvis?” Tony called out, “This isn’t listed in my SHIELD file is it? I think I’d remember if it said anything about me being a daddy. Do you have a copy of this file?” Tony asked, gesturing to the documents floating before him, worried about just how far the information had spread. 

“Sir, I find no mention of this information in your file or Ms. Lewis’. The SHIELD database does not link either of you beyond both being familiar with Thor Odinson. Nor have I been able to locate any blood work related to Ms. Lewis.”

“He didn’t link the files,” Natasha observed.

“What now?”

“Phil. He probably signed off on receiving Lewis’ test results but never linked the medical file with her file or yours. He might have made it available in hardcopy only. Chances are we’re reading the only electronic version that exists.”

“Ok,” Tony said slowly, as he continued to flip through the documents. Turning to the spy he asked, “So it’s been a year. Why hold on to it for so long? Why tell me about it now?”

“I don’t know. But he went to a lot of trouble to make sure you found out if…” Natasha paused, not finishing the sentence. Taking a breath she stated, “He wanted to make sure you knew.”

“If?”

“If,” Natasha stressed. “Tony, he wanted you to know.” 

“As opposed to 3 months ago or you know, a year ago?” Tony asked, unconvinced. 

“Phil probably couldn’t tell you sooner. He put this together as a last ditch effort to make sure you got it. He knew either Clint or I would pick it up if he didn’t,” she explained.

“Ok. But why keep it under wraps?” Tony questioned. “Blackmail isn’t an option. No one in the world would be surprised to find out I have a kid that I didn’t know about. And SHIELD could probably find easier ways of getting anything they’d want from me, or her for that matter.”

“It’s information,” the redhead said with a shrug. “SHIELD had it and you didn’t. What would it be worth to you to know you have a child? SHIELD didn’t know, but it wanted the option to find out if need be.”

“Yeah,” Tony unhappily agreed. “And Fury wonders why I don’t trust him?” he mused, as he moved back to the first page of the file. He needed to know everything he could about the girl before him.

They were quiet for a few moments until the Natasha asked, leaning casually against the table, “Now that you know, what are you going to do?”

“Do? Finish reading this file Agent put together. He obviously thought it was worth a read,” Tony shot back, not looking at her.

With a nod, Natasha pushed away from the table and as she walked away said, “If you need anything, call.”

Settling in, Tony flipped back to the first page of the report. It was a short evaluation an agent had made after interviewing Darcy about Thor’s visit. She was listed as an undergraduate intern whose time spent with Thor and the other Asgardians was only peripheral in nature. It was recommended that she be encouraged to move on as soon as possible. SHIELD would be able to provide Dr. Foster with more appropriate support staff.

It was the secondary report that captured Tony’s attention. Apparently, the paternity test had been the result of a training exercise for new medical staff. It had been a randomly chosen sample used to learn SHIELD’s testing procedures. They got a lucky hit. When the results crossed Agent Coulson’s desk he did a more thorough background check. 

It turned out Darcy Lewis wasn’t just a political science major. She already had a BS in electrical and mechanical engineering and was finishing her MS in both while interning for Foster. She had been at Culver since she was 16 and was taking political science classes on the side. Coulson highlighted in his report that Darcy had been cooperative during her initial interview but upon reviewing the tape found she had offered little actual information and allowed the agent questioning her to make his own assumptions. She had been completing undergraduate work in political science and didn’t bother to correct any conclusions drawn from that information. 

Coulson noted that Dr. Foster was overseeing Darcy’s final project, which was odd, for while Foster had the academic degrees to support such work, it wasn’t her specialty. He found that Darcy had a reputation within the engineering school as being difficult. Based on rumors dug up at the school and the timing of her joining Dr. Foster, he speculated that the issue centered around a sexual harassment claim.  


Scholarships and students loans were covering Darcy’s school expenses. She had also previously worked at a local garage as a mechanic. The lab in New Mexico was her current and only address, and Dr. Foster was listed as her emergency contact. Coulson specifically noted there was no known family and that additional documentation from Virginia social services was included. 

The social services file covered her early years and were somewhat disheartening. Darcy Lewis had been adopted and later orphaned when her parents died in a traffic accident when she was 11. She attended local community college at 14 and transferred to Culver at 16. Agent Coulson also included IQ test scores indicating exceptional intellectual ability and reports of precocious behavior. Despite her intelligence or perhaps because of it, Darcy Lewis had bounced from foster home to foster home until she finally fought her way clear of the system by petitioning the state of Virginia for early emancipation at 16. 

The last document consisted of observations Coulson made of his interactions with Darcy. He described her as an extrovert who was irreverent and fun loving but harmless. He noted she was an attentive and caring manager of Drs. Foster and Selvig. She was initially discounted due to her support position. He noted in hindsight she had simply been overshadowed by the two scientists. No one had seen her abilities, much less taken the time to evaluate her thoroughly. Agent Coulson concluded that the best means of keeping Darcy under surveillance was to leave her with Dr. Foster. He put procedures in place for agents to regularly check on her, under the guise of following up on Foster’s research. He chose not to interview her again as it would bring her undue attention. His final report recommended they contact Tony Stark with the information as soon as possible. 

“Jarvis we have her official SHIELD file, right? I want to see how much of Agent’s report is in it,” Tony asked thoughtfully.  
The report included only the original assessment. Darcy Lewis appeared to be an undergrad with education inconsistent with being an astrophysicist’s assistant who would likely not last long in the position. She came across as unremarkable and unlikely to be of use to SHIELD.

Sitting back Tony thoughtfully compared both files and then gestured to the holographic screen to close out the documents saying, “Jarvis save these on my private server, my eyes only.” He didn’t quite know what to think or do. There had been a few paternity claims over the years, but this was admittedly, the only one Tony was inclined to believe. He had difficulty envisioning that SHIELD, much less Coulson, would build a lie around something like this and then opt not to use it. What would be the point?

He frowned as he pulled up the tower plans he had been working on. He stared at them blankly for a few moments before shutting them down again. Tony kept circling back to Coulson and why he hadn’t included his final assessment in Darcy’s file. Why bother putting her under surveillance? Why go to all the trouble of putting together a second, more detailed report and do nothing with it? What possible reason could SHIELD have had to withhold this information? Nothing came to mind other than some sort of future power play that SHIELD might need to make. It baffled Tony that they would think telling him he had a child would make a difference. He couldn’t see how it would. 

Tony pulled up the files again and paged through them absently. Looking at the picture of the young woman hanging in the air and he thought he could see a resemblance. The chin, maybe the nose, the shape of her face, the hair, it all could be from him. The report said she was born in 1992 which would mean Tony had been about 22 at the time, right at the beginning of his hard party years. Regretfully, he had no idea who her mother could be. 

“Jarvis?” Tony called out, “Find out where Darcy Lewis is. The report said she was in New Mexico last year. Is she still there? Check with SHIELD, see if they know where Foster is. She could still be with her.”

“Right away, sir.”

“Great. Keep me posted,” he said as he pocketed the USB drive and headed out of the lab. He needed to talk to Pepper and hoped she would find a way for it to make sense. 

 

Tony was fairly certain Pepper wasn’t going to be all that surprised to learn he suddenly had a child. If anything, she would probably be more surprised it hadn’t happened sooner. 

As expected, Pepper was busy but as he burst through her door he didn’t give her much choice but to set aside her work. She only had a chance to say, “Tony?” worriedly before Tony stopped in front of her desk said, “Pepper, I don’t quite know how to tell you this.” Pausing, he said in one big breath, “I have a kid, Pep. Coulson found her. He left a report.” 

“What?” Pepper said sitting forward in surprise. “Phil found your – a child? When did this happen?” Pepper asked as she stepped quickly out from behind her desk and went to him. 

“Well, apparently 21 years ago. But he found her last year. It’s a girl by the way. She’s pretty. We won’t know for sure, of course, until we run our own test,” Tony rambled, his agitation sending him pacing through the office. “I can’t figure out why SHIELD didn’t say anything. But I bet Fury knows. Though what I need to do first is track her down and-,” Tony came to a stop, uncertainty gripping him. As much as he wanted to know why SHIELD hadn’t shared this information with him he needed to find the girl first, for his own peace of mind.  


“How did Phil find out? How did you?” Pepper asked. 

“He found her in New Mexico. She was there the first time Thor visited. Small world, uh?” Tony smiled ruefully, not quite believing the coincidence. “He left me a care package via Agent Romanoff. She broke into the tower it give me this,” he said, holding up a USB drive. “It’s got the paternity test and everything you could possibly want to know about the kid you never knew you had,” he said sarcastically. Adding with a small, prideful smile, “She’s a genius, Pepper. Getting her masters in electrical and mechanical engineering at Culver. Not MIT, but still,” he added with a shrug. He had to admit he felt a small thrill knowing that the girl was following in his footsteps in some small way. Pausing for a moment he continued quietly, “She was adopted. No idea who the mother is. She ended up in foster care when she was 11.” That information ate at him, knowing that he could have made a huge difference in her life, had he known. Regardless of the type of father he would have made at the time, his money alone would have made the difference.

“You couldn’t have known,” Pepper said, stepping in front of him and grasping his forearms lightly in reassurance. Neither spoke as they looked down at the USB drive thoughtfully. With a confident nod of her head, Pepper assured him, “We’ll find her. That shouldn’t be a problem. But you need to think about what you want to say when we do. What do you want to tell her?” 

“I- I don’t know. Shouldn’t I tell her the truth?” Tony questioned, momentarily at a loss. “I want to get to know her. She’s my – well- she’s my kid,” he said uncertainly, glancing at Pepper for support. It was starting to hit home that it was very likely that he had a child. He pulled away from Pepper with a thoughtful frown saying, “Who knows if she’ll want that. But you know, I’d like to think - maybe?” Tony had never really given kids much thought but he found himself curious, open to the possibility and somewhat appalled at the idea. 

“Ok,” Pepper said slowly considering, “We’ve had plans in place in case something like this happened. You just need to find her and decide what you want to say. Everything else will come from that.”

“Yeah,” Tony said with a vacant nod, looking down at the USB drive he was fidgeting with. “I need to find her.”

“Sir, if I may?” Jarvis interrupted. “I have located Dr. Foster. SHIELD files indicate she is currently evaluating data stemming from the wormhole incident. However, there is only a minor mention of Miss Lewis in the files. It states that she was present when agents closed Dr. Foster’s facility in New Mexico. It indicates she signed non-disclosure agreements and has since moved on from her employment with Dr. Foster.”

“So you don’t know where she is right now?” Tony asked anxiously.

“I’m sorry, sir. I do not. I have made attempts to locate her in Puente Antiguo, New Mexico, her last known location. I have been unsuccessful as the town has severally limited electronic resources.”

“How long ago did she sign the NDAs?” Tony asked, not liking the direction this was going.

“The file indicates it was 8 days ago.”

“Damn, she could be anywhere by now,” Tony said, with a frustrated sigh. 

“I can still attempt to search for her in New Mexico, but might I suggest I extend my search to Willowdale, Virginia and Culver University. It is possible she has returned to school,” Jarvis said.

“Yeah, do it. I need her found. In the meantime, where’s Foster? It might be worth talking to her. See if she has any idea where she’d go.” 

“Dr. Foster is at SHIELD’s New York headquarters,” Jarvis announced.

“Well, at least she’s close. Pep, I’m going to SHIELD. Might have a chat with Fury while I’m there,” Tony said with a nod, already heading toward the door, wondering why this Foster woman had let Darcy go just a few short days ago. Fury was on his mind as well, but the anger associated with him was simmering, waiting to come to a boil. 

“Just be careful, ok? You don’t want this information public, Tony,” Pepper urged.

Tony paused, “Yeah. Right.” He hadn’t given that any thought. It would be a nightmare if it went public before he found the girl. Uncertain he said, “Not sure how I’m going to talk to Foster about finding her.”

“Start with Dr. Foster’s work,” Pepper suggested. “Talk about the wormhole and maybe it will come up. Maybe she needs help? You can always offer that.”

“Yeah. Help. That – that could work. Thanks, Pep,” Tony said with a thoughtful nod and headed out the door, hoping he’d find some answers at SHIELD.

 

Getting into SHIELD headquarters was fairly easy. At least, it was if you were Tony Stark. He insisted he had urgent information regarding the wormhole that opened up above Stark Tower and an agent ushered him into the bowels of SHIELD. 

Dr. Foster turned out to be a petite woman so deeply engrossed in her work it took a moment for the agent escorting Tony to gain her attention. Looking up she regarded them vacantly saying, “What? Oh. Was there something you needed?”

“Dr. Foster,” the agent said as he gestured to her visitor. “Mr. Stark has information for you regarding the wormhole data you are studying.”  


“Oh! Oh good,” Dr. Foster said excitedly. “I’ve found some discrepancies and need some more readings. Can we do that? I need to look at the site where you’re getting this information.” 

“I’m sure you can make arrangements with the supervising agent,” the agent said, brushing her off. “In the meantime, Mr. Stark is here to speak with you,” he added before quickly stepping away.

“Hi, Tony Stark,” Tony muttered quickly. “Looks like you have quite a setup here. What have you found out so far?” he asked as he stepped further into the room surveying the spread out equipment. He was intrigued as much of it was obviously homemade. 

“The readings we’ve gotten are -” Jane began hesitantly as she watched him meander through her equipment. “Oh, don’t touch that! I just got it calibrated,” Jane reprimanded, scurrying after him. 

Tony ran his hand over a heavily scuffed monitor hooked to a projector saying, “Wow. I haven’t seen anything this jury-rigged since my college days. How are you even getting readings with this?” He was amazed at the mix of new and ancient tech and was surprised it could function in tandem, but was also reminded of his school days when scientists learned to make do with what they had. 

“It works just fine,” Jane said indignantly, standing ready to intervene if he continued to manhandle her delicate instruments. Adding dejectedly upon seeing the next machine he was looking at, “Oh, that one’s not working. I need Darcy to fix it.”

“Darcy?” Tony perked up quickly at the name.

“She’s my intern,” Jane explained.

“Oh? She’s here?” Tony asked, hopeful.

“No,” Jane said, faltering. “She’s not. She’s my intern but -well. It’s a long story,” Jane hedged unhappily.

“Do tell. I’m good with long stories,” Tony urged, vaguely concerned that the topic bothered her.

Jane frowned, slightly put off by the interest, but continued, “Darcy was my intern in New Mexico and she was supposed to meet me here, or at least I was going to ask her to, but SHIELD says she quit.”

“SHIELD says?” Tony pressed.

Sensing a willing audience, Jane elaborated, “They said she didn’t want to work for me anymore which doesn’t make any sense. I’m her academic advisor for her thesis. I can’t imagine she would just quit after all the work she’s put in.”

“You haven’t talked to her?” Tony questioned casually as he continued to look over the scattered equipment. 

“I’ve tried. I’ve called. I’ve emailed. She hasn’t answered,” Jane said apprehensively. “I don’t know what to do. I asked SHIELD to find her and they said they’d look into it,” Jane clarified.

“It seems odd that you haven’t been able to get a hold of her,” Tony observed carefully, wondering how likely it was that SHIELD had done something and why. Ignoring Jane’s nervous hovering he flipped the switch on a dated computer monitor and watched it pull up an old-fashioned black and white lit screen with an electronic grumble followed by a beep. He asked nonchalantly, “So you’re close?”

Jane snorted, “We’re closer than we want to be sometimes.” Following behind him, she flipped the monitor off saying, “But, yes. Darcy is my intern and my student, but she’s also a friend. I’m worried something’s happened. But when I talked to the agents who moved my equipment from New Mexico, they said she was fine. They said she mentioned something about going to LA, which makes no sense. Why would Darcy go to LA?”

“Just how did you get here from New Mexico? Seems like quite the jump,” Tony observed as he finished his circuit through the room. He was curious to know just how SHIELD had separated her from Darcy if they were so close and how she wound up in New York. 

“Oh, well. I was in Norway at the observatory in Tromsø,” Jane explained. “SHIELD insisted I come to New York a few days after the invasion. They wanted me to look at the data they collected. Which is just amazing. You said you had information about the wormhole?” she asked with anticipation. 

“Yes. Right,” Tony nodded agreeably, absently reaching out to rub the rounded edge of a telescope. “So you asked SHIELD to look for Darcy?” he asked, circling back.

“Of course,” Jane said, with certainty. “If anyone can find her, they can. I told them I need her but they keep telling me to use one of the other assistants. They said she wasn’t qualified, which is ridiculous.”

“So first SHIELD told you she was leaving for LA, then told you she wasn’t qualified and but then agreed to look for her? When was this?” Tony asked, incredulous and not liking what he was hearing.

“A few days ago,” Jane said, defensively. “Why? You’re asking a lot of questions about Darcy,” Jane said, suddenly suspicious. 

“I just find it curious,” Tony said with a shake of his head, adding, “If SHIELD wanted to find someone they would have done it by now. It’s been over a week, right?” He wasn’t at all surprised that SHIELD hadn’t found her, he doubted they had even bothered to look.

Jane examined Tony closely. After a moment she glanced around the room to reassure herself they were still alone and said cautiously, “You think SHIELD did something.” 

“I wouldn’t put it past them,” Tony said with a shrug. “Don’t you think it’s strange you haven’t been able to get in touch with her? Ever since you started working here, correct?” Tony questioned, pressing his concerns. 

Tilting her head to the side as if to get a better measure of him, Jane said, “Mr. Stark, I think you know something. I’m not sure what. But it has to do with Darcy, and –“

“I don’t know anything,” Tony hastened to explain, adding, “I just see a lot of coincidences. It’s rather convenient, isn’t it, that you’re here alone in New York and SHIELD has complete control over where you go, who you see and what you do.” He knew they would have isolated her to make her easier to manage if they needed her to be compliant for some reason. Take away her support system and she would be forced to rely on SHIELD.

“Oh. Maybe? I hadn’t thought about it,” Jane faltered. “They did put me up in an apartment and they pick me up and – oh. You’re the first person I’ve talked to who isn’t SHIELD in days,” she said, realization dawning. “So you’re saying what? They purposely got rid of Darcy? Why?” Jane asked, confused. 

“It’s possible,” Tony said with certainty. Shrugging, he added, “They didn’t think she’d be of any use. Why keep her around when they have more qualified people to keep tabs on your research? And if you’re as close as you say, SHIELD doesn’t like unnecessary competition when it comes to handling their assets. ie. - you,” Tony reasoned, pointing at her. 

“So what do you think they did?” Jane asked worriedly. 

“Well, getting rid of her wouldn’t be that hard. Force her to sign some NDAs,” Tony said, carelessly. “SHIELD is perfectly capable of blocking both of your phone numbers, messages and emails. Tell me, what would she do if she thought you had left her in New Mexico?”

“Darcy would’ve stayed as long as she thought I was coming back,” Jane said confidently. “Oh god, she never would have let SHIELD take my equipment or research without a fight,” Jane suddenly dismayed. “She’d do everything she could to reach me. But- it’s been three weeks since I talked to her. I don’t know how much longer she’d wait.” Frowning, she added, “Chances are she’d go back to Culver. She’d need to talk to the dean about a new advisor for her thesis if she really thought I’d just left her. I bet that’s what’s happened,” Jane said frantically. “What must she be thinking? I have to find her. I’ve been so wrapped up in all of this, and SHIELD said they’d take care of it. So I just-”

“Ok,” Tony interrupted calmly, pulling her back from the edge of hysteria she was skirting. Redirecting the conversation he said, “Maybe you could call someone you know in New Mexico? They might know if she’s still there or if she’s already left.”

“Oh, good idea. I’ll call the diner. Maybe Izzy will know where Darcy is,” Jane said, pulling out her phone. 

“Great. Now, how do you like working for SHIELD?” Tony queried, in a sarcastic, low tone, having little doubt she was unhappy with them. He hadn’t hired an astrophysicist for Stark Industries in years but he was willing to make an exception. If she had the means of locating his daughter, Tony was ready to give her an option over SHIELD. Besides, if the girl worked for her it was all the more reason to move Foster to Stark Industries. 

“It’s alright,” Jane said uncertainly. “They haven’t let me gather my own data which is ridiculous. But if they’ve done something to Darcy, I don’t care what they want me to look at. I still have tenure at Culver, I’ll go back to New Mexico,” Jane said decisively. 

“What do you think about coming to work for me over at Stark Industries?” Tony asked seriously. Adding with a self-assured smirk, “Top of the line labs. Generous funding. You’d love it.” Stepping away to walk through the machines again he added casually, “And you know, the wormhole did open right above the tower. Chances are that’s where SHIELD is getting their data. They’ve been on the roof a few times doing clean up.” Tony was certain he had offered just the right combination of incentives to lure the scientist over to SI. He probably didn’t need to work so hard at convincing her but he wanted to make sure she left SHEILD. 

“That sounds amazing,” Jane said, clearly intrigued. “But, even if I wanted to leave, I can’t just walk away. They have all my research and equipment,” she added regretfully. “Everything I own really. I’d have to find someplace to live and -” 

“Oh, that’s not a problem. My lawyers will get your stuff back and we’ll put you up at the tower,” Tony said easily, waving off her concerns. “In the meantime, why don’t you gather up as much research as you can carry and head over to the tower. I’ll give my attorneys a call and they‘ll be waiting when you arrive,” he suggested. He knew getting her research and equipment back from SHIELD wouldn’t be quite that easy but he had faith his attorneys were more than up to the task of taking them on. 

“I want to. Really,” Jane said. She hesitated, adding, “But what about Darcy? What if they find her and I’m not here, then what?”

“I highly doubt SHIELD will suddenly find her,” Tony said darkly. “I’ll get my guy on it. Why don’t you call whoever you need to in New Mexico and see if we can track her down through them.” 

While Foster made the call, Tony began to carefully inspect each piece of equipment. It was all old and had seen hard use, but he could see some careful engineering. Although, there were a few pieces held together with the prodigious use of duct tape. He was amused and amazed that it actually worked. He also saw an opportunity to work more closely with the doctor, if she needed equipment repaired. 

“Well, she’s not there anymore,” Jane said with a sigh, as she put her phone down. “Izzy said she left for Culver this morning. She had to take the bus,” she added, distressed. “She’s someplace between New Mexico and Virginia.”

“The bus? Poor kid,” Tony said with a grimace. “Well, we’ll find her, now that we know where to start looking.” Tony mentally shied away from the image that swept over him of a dark, shadowed bus terminal, with the unsavory people, looking to exploit a young vulnerable girl. He didn’t like the idea of any woman alone on a cross-country bus, much less his own daughter. 

“Thank you Mr. Stark,” Jane said sincerely, “Really, if you hadn’t asked about Darcy I would have let SHIELD handle everything and who knows what would have happened.” 

“Hey, yeah. Call me Tony. We’ll probably be seeing a lot of each other. It’s my tower,” he added with a shrug. “Now, why don’t you pack up and head out? I have someone I need to speak with.” Believing he had gathered enough information for now, Tony was ready to confront Fury. That SHIELD had apparently abandoned the girl in New Mexico and was covering it up with lame excuses, angered him. Now that he knew she was traveling in less than ideal circumstances all due to SHIELD, he was livid. 

Ducking out of Foster’s lab Tony made his way out of SHIELD’s science division and through the massive building to the executive offices. On his way, he sent Jarvis a text updating him on Darcy Lewis’ possible movements. Hopefully, with new information, he would be able to locate her quickly. 

Storming past the Director of SHIELD’s secretary was a simple matter of determination and arrogance, which Tony Stark had in abundance. 

He greeted the director with false cheer saying, “Hi Nick, got a minute? We need to have a chat. I think I missed a memo.”

“Stark, why are you here?” Fury ground out as he waved off his harried secretary. 

“Coulson sent me a surprise package from the great beyond. Turns out I’m a daddy,” Tony said, feigning delight. “Apparently, you’ve known for over a year and didn’t bother to tell me. What I can’t figure out is why? What’s your angle, Nick?” He was angry but it was manageable. Tony truly wanted to know Fury’s reasoning. Why would the super-secret spy hold on to such volatile information?

“Stark, I don’t have time for this,” Fury complained, glaring at him from his black leather chair.

“Make time. Why didn’t you tell me I had a daughter?” Tony snapped, impatient with the man for trying to brush him off. 

“It was information we determined you didn’t need to know,” the director answered decisively. 

“We? No. You mean, you. You decided I didn’t need to know and I want to know why,” Tony demanded, infuriated that Fury thought so little of him to believe he’d be that easily dissuaded.

“Because a year ago you were a wreck. You almost died from palladium poisoning. You destroyed your house, basically gave away your business and nearly got killed by a Russian terrorist. You didn’t need the distraction of finding out you were a father on top of everything else. We needed you stable enough to work with us,” Fury snarled, leaning forward over his desk.

“That’s your reason?” Tony exclaimed in disbelief. “You needed me stable? Who are you to decide if I’m stable?” He had expected a more involved reason or even outright denial. To imply that he couldn’t do his job was a shock, particularly considering all he had done recently. 

“Who am I?” the director roared. “I’m the one who decides what’s in SHIELD’s best interests. And you being ready when we need you is in our best interests.”

“I don’t work for you!” Tony yelled. “You didn’t want me!”

“Stark, you’ve been part of SHIELD since you were born,” Fury said annoyed. “We just didn’t have a use for you until you became Iron Man. Once you decided to become a superhero you belonged to us, whether you knew it or not,” he added pessimistically. “SHIELD is in the business of keeping the world running smoothly and you’re part of that now. We have a vested interest in making sure you’re able to do your job when we need you. As such, I decided you didn’t need to be distracted by suddenly having a kid. It wasn’t necessary,” the director said decisively. 

“Wasn’t necessary,” Tony repeated acidly. “Jesus Christ, Fury. This is my life. This is a kid. I agreed to work with you but I didn’t think you’d pull shit like this. What else are you handling for me?” he asked sarcastically. Tony had weathered more than a few paternity claims without a flinch but now that he was denied the right to decide for himself he was outraged. He had the right to make his own decisions, particularly relating to a topic that carried such weight. 

“If it weren’t for SHIELD you wouldn’t even know you had a kid,” Fury sneered. “It’s only by chance that we even found her. If it weren’t for Coulson you’d have never known.”

“So, you never planned to tell me?” Tony asked, challenging him. Tony had put a fair amount of trust in Fury, believing that the man had some honor, but he had clearly misjudged the man if he could coolly make such a decision. 

“Stark, what good would it have done?” Fury shot back. “She’s an adult. She doesn’t need a father. What would you do with her, anyway?”  


“I don’t know, but I’d like to find out. And, who says she doesn’t need a father?” Tony argued. He hadn’t really thought that far ahead, instead focusing on locating her. He had only a vague idea of what a father did and knew nothing of the girl or if she would welcome Tony’s news. But he thought they both had the right to find out. 

“Do you really think this girl wants to become a Stark and have to deal with everything that that means? You might want to think about that, before sending out birth announcements. Word gets out you have a kid and what do you think will happen? She’ll never be able to walk down the street again,” the director said with finality. 

Tony took a step backward, feeling as if he had been punched, the ramifications of Fury’s suggestion taking hold of a cold dark part of him. He knew what being a Stark meant, on so many different levels, and he had to admit he wasn’t sure he wanted to inflict that on anyone. At the same time Fury’s blanket damnation incensed him. After taking a moment to regroup he asked angrily, “What else haven’t you bothered to tell me?” Not getting an answer he muttered, “Christ,” and turned to leave. Abruptly, he paused and threw out, “I’m taking Foster with me. She wasn’t too thrilled when she realized the kind of crap SHIELD’s been pulling with her assistant. My daughter. I suggest you let her go without any trouble. Otherwise, legal will be all over your ass.”


	3. The Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy makes the hard decision to strike out on her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks goes to thestancyg for the awesome beta reading and support!

Splurging on a priority seating bus ticket had been worth it. Darcy was able to board first and chose a window seat toward the rear of the bus. She wasn’t looking forward to the long trip ahead but she couldn’t justify spending hundreds of dollars on a flight only to have nothing to live on once she got to Culver. A train ticket would have been nice, but it was still more expensive than the bus. At this point, she was counting every penny she spent. But twenty extra dollars could influence just how uncomfortable the next fifty-two hours would be. 

The last few days had been trying. Accepting that Jane was gone and wasn’t coming back was a work in progress. It physically hurt to think she had left without a word. Darcy continued to call SHIELD and was emailing twice a day, but even she had a limit as to how long she could hold out hope. So, she had booked a bus ticket east and set about packing up the dealership. Darcy eventually decided to just leave the furniture where it was. She had no way to transport it, even if she could find someplace to sell it. It was all secondhand and if they ever did return they wouldn’t be starting from scratch like they had initially. Kitchenware and minor appliances she boxed up and left with Izzy at the diner with the understanding that if they weren’t back within the year, she could do with them as she pleased. 

It was the remaining materials; Darcy’s own work, that had been difficult to part with. She made arrangements for Izzy to mail a box of books and papers to her once she got to Culver and had an address. She just couldn’t carry that much with her. A large suitcase, a small duffle bag, and her book bag were all she could conceivably carry. She backed up all her work twice, packed the USB drives in two different locations and prayed everything made it to Culver with her.

The trip wasn’t too horrible really. The bus was clean, with an artificial fresh air scent that lingered on the upholstery. They set a boring, unrelenting pace which only complimented the flat and uninspired landscape of New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. Darcy was able to keep herself occupied with her phone but the repetitive motion of the bus lured her into a fitful sleep. She didn’t get a seatmate until Oklahoma City. It was a young woman on her way to St. Louis, who seemed well practiced in travel. She plugged in her iPod, pulled out her phone and proceeded to ignore Darcy, which was just fine. 

Not everyone traveling was that considerate. A loud, boisterous group of teenage boys got on for what was thankfully, a relatively short trip. Mothers with crying infants and rumbustious children got on and off. Darcy came across a man or two at longer wayside stops who she actively avoided and held on to her taser just a little bit tighter until she was able to reboard the bus. But generally, the overriding fear that had been dogging her dissipated out of sheer boredom. She just wasn’t able to maintain the same level of hypervigilance she had had at the beginning. 

What remained constant was a sense of sadness and loss. She had been numb when she left Puente Antiguo, focused on completing tasks necessary to leave. But as she got further away and had time to think she couldn’t help but question how she had gotten there. She didn’t regret taking a chance on Jane and moving to New Mexico to complete her studies. It was the best option she had at the time and had worked out incredibly well. With Jane, she found a kindred spirit who appreciated knowledge for knowledge’s sake. Whose passion, while not the same as hers, was contagious and together they had built a solid partnership. Or, so she thought. Now Darcy began to question everything. Had she done something that caused Jane to leave? What could be so interesting as to make her forget Darcy for almost 3 solid weeks? Or, had something happened to Jane and she had no way of contacting Darcy because of it. Her biggest worry was that she had left Puente Antiguo too soon and that Jane would return to find her already gone. 

When Darcy dragged herself off the bus in Chicago at 4:30 in the afternoon she felt like she was vibrating from its constant motion. She had an hour and a half layover and planned on getting some dinner and trying to clean up in the restroom. Darcy stood in line with her fellow travelers, exhausted and grubby under the harsh glare of fluorescent lights. She wanted a breath of fresh air, instead of the damp air trapped in the garage, tasting of exhaust. She’d been on the road a day and a half and she felt as if she were in a bubble where time lost all meaning and the day just kept on going without end. She still had another 19 hours to Washington DC and then needed to get a local bus to Culver. God only knew what she’d do when she got there. It wasn’t like she had anyone she could call to crash on their couch.  


Once she did get to Culver Darcy planned on getting the cheapest room she could find for a few days and with any luck find someone on campus that needed a roommate. She also hoped the garage she used to work at would hire her back. Lastly, she needed to call the dean and throw herself at his mercy. She was moving forward, blindly hoping that all of her tentative plans came to fruition because if they didn’t she wasn’t sure what she would do. 

Her suitcase had just been pulled from the underbelly of the bus when she heard the voice she had been hoping to hear for almost 3 weeks. “DARCY! Darcy! Oh god! Darcy!” Jane cried, as she ran up and pulled her into a crushing hug. “You’re here! Thank god. I was worried I’d miss you. But you’re here!”

“JANE? Oh my god, Jane?! What are- how did you-” Darcy cried, hugging the scientist in return. 

They clung to one another, laughing and crying, stunned and inarticulate in amazement. It had been just over three weeks since Jane had left for Norway and now here they were in Chicago’s Greyhound bus terminal crying over one another. Disbelief and astonishment surged through Darcy as she pulled the diminutive woman into a tighter hug. She didn’t know how it was possible, but Jane was there. Joy was followed quickly by relief. Jane had found her, which meant Darcy’s faith in their friendship hadn’t been misplaced. She hadn’t been abandoned. 

Jane, for her part, was crying and laughing and clinging to Darcy as well. They were creating a scene, but neither was aware of it as other travelers stepped around them, looking on in a mixture of exhaustion, amusement, and annoyance. Finally, the women separated, to evaluate the other and to catch their breath. 

“How did you find me?” Darcy blurted out, confused and thrilled all at once. 

“Oh god, Darcy. You’re not going to believe it. Tony Stark helped me,” Jane laughed in disbelief as if that were explanation enough.  
Darcy starred, waiting for her elaborate. Instead, the diminutive scientist grabbed her arm to pull her along saying, “Come on let’s get out of here. I’ve got a car. Do you have everything?”

“I – yeah. This is it,” Darcy said as she pulled her suitcase closer and bent down to pick up her duffle bag while hoisting her book bag higher on her shoulder. 

“Here, let me take that,” Jane said, pulling the larger suitcase out of Darcy’s hand. Dragging it by its handle she led them away from the bus and into the station. “God, Darcy. You’re not going to believe how I got here. Tony gave me his jet. And a limo,” she added, laughing incredulously. 

Turning and walking backward as they crossed through the station Jane continued on excitedly, “I met him yesterday at SHIELD. He figured out where you were. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for weeks. And SHIELD said you quit and that you were going to LA!” Turning to push open the door leading out the front entrance of the station, Jane continued, “They said they’d find you – but Tony thinks they were trying to get rid of you.” 

Coming to a stop in front of a limousine, Jane asked with a delighted laugh, “Can you believe this?” 

The driver standing by the open rear door and asked, “May I take that miss?” gesturing to the suitcase Jane was pulling. She handed it off and he turned to Darcy, asking, “And may I take your luggage?” 

Stunned, Darcy weakly handed over her duffle bag as she pulled her book bag closer. They crawled into the dim interior of the limousine and noise from outside was immediately muffled. Catching her breath Darcy turned to look at Jane in disbelief, for once in her life speechless. After everything, it was surreal to have Jane sitting next to her, in a limousine, in Chicago. 

Jane quickly grabbed her hand, asked anxiously, “Are you ok? I’m so, so sorry. I don’t know what SHIELD did, but I know they did something and I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

“Yeah, I’m ok,” Darcy said slowly as she sank into the deep upholstery, feeling a little overwhelmed. She needed a moment to catch up with everything that had happened in the last few minutes. 

“Don’t worry about anything, ok? We’re going to the airport from here. We’ll be in New York in no time,” Jane assured her. “You do want to come, don’t you? I know we haven’t talked, but you do want to keep working for me, right? You didn’t really quit, did you?” she asked worriedly, desperate to comfort Darcy, but also to assuage her own concerns. 

“Jane, Jane,” Darcy protested, trying to get her to stop. “Yes, I want to keep working for you. And no, I didn’t quit.” Frowning, she asked with a confused laugh, “Now why are we going to New York and how did you meet Tony Stark?” She couldn’t begin to guess how Jane had gotten mixed up with Tony Stark.

“Oh!” Jane exclaimed animatedly. “I’ve been in New York since the invasion. SHIELD got some amazing readings from the wormhole. Then yesterday Tony came to talk to me about it – it opened right above his tower.” Jane explained excitedly. “I tried to call you – so many times. When SHIELD told me they’d get my equipment I tried to call you to tell you they were coming. But I couldn’t get through,” she hastened to clarify. Adding, skeptically, “Tony thinks they were blocking my messages, yours too.” 

“I called you non-stop for a week, Jane,” Darcy said, exasperated, though somewhat reassured to hear Jane had been doing the same. “Then SHIELD showed up and took everything. They made me sign a non-disclosure agreement saying I’d never talk to you again,” she complained irate. She added with a rueful laugh, “I almost got thrown out of the lab for arguing with them. I finally got them to agree to get a message to you, which obviously didn’t happen. Since then I’ve been calling and emailing SHIELD for days trying to get a hold of you.”

“I’m so sorry,” Jane repeated, clearly distressed with what she was hearing. “I should have paid more attention. I kept calling you though and SHIELD said they’d find you. After a while I didn’t know what to do,” she confessed. “But then Tony showed up,” she continued confidently. “He offered me a job at Stark Industries. And then Jarvis found you in St Louis. I was going to wait and take the train down to meet you in Washington but Tony insisted that I take the jet to Chicago instead.”

Darcy blinked at Jane, overwhelmed and trying to keep up with everything she said. She began to laugh tiredly. “So you’ve been in New York all this time? And, Tony Stark offered you a job?”

“Yes,” Jane beamed, clearly agreeing it was somewhat unbelievable.

Darcy continued to snicker, her exhaustion getting the better of her emotions.

“What?” Jane asked with a fond smile.

“It’s just – I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for weeks, Jane. And, I’ve been on a bus for the last day and a half. And, now I’m in a limo? And, I’m going to New York? And, you work for Tony Stark? What the hell?” Darcy sputtered, flabbergasted by their circumstances.

“Oh. Yeah. It’s pretty crazy,” Jane agreed, bubbling with laughter. “But it’s ok, right? You do want to come?” Jane asked, still anxious as she grasped Darcy’s hand.

Darcy smiled tiredly, “Yes. It’s ok. I’m just glad to see you.” 

“Oh, well. Good,” Jane said, with a satisfied nod, relieved with Darcy’s answer.

They sat quietly for a moment, content, as a comfortable, pleased silence washed over them. In no time the limo rolled to a smooth stop and Jane grinned brightly saying, “We’re here. Darcy, you’re not going to believe this plane.”

They clambered out of the limo and were led aboard the jet by a member of the crew who encouraged them to settle in. As the plane took off the rush of adrenaline that had surged through Darcy began to drain away. She felt emotionally wrung out with the extremes she had gone through in just the last hour, to say nothing of the past few weeks. She sagged back into her chair and gave Jane an exhausted, relieved smile. Shaking her head in disbelief she said, “I can’t believe you’ve been in New York this entire time. I’ve been worried sick about you.”

“I’m sorry for everything,” Jane replied apologetically. “But, you’re going to love New York,” she added excitedly. “I only got to see the labs for a little while, but they’re amazing. And Tony said we can set up on his roof, no problem. SHIELD wouldn’t let me. I don’t have my equipment yet but I met with Tony’s lawyers yesterday and they said they’d take care of it and – oh. Sorry,” Jane said, cutting short her enthusiastic tirade. 

“No, it’s fine,” Darcy responded, tired but comforted by Jane’s excitement over all things science related. “I want to hear all about it. So we’re setting up the lab in Stark Tower?” 

“Yes! And we each have an apartment in the building,” Jane enthusiastically explained. “It’s part of the contract I signed with Stark Industries. You’re not going to believe the funding we’re getting,” she gushed. “I hope its ok. I didn’t want to split up again. When I think about what could have happened-. But if you don’t want to live in the tower I’m sure we can figure something else out – I just-” Jane rambled worriedly.

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Darcy interrupted, trying to calm her. “Besides, rent in New York City? We’d never be able to afford it. If we have a rent-free place to stay, we’re staying. Now tell me about the lab. Does it have enough outlets? Because I left all the extension cords in Puente Antiguo.”

 

“Sir, Ms. Lewis has arrived with Dr. Foster,” Jarvis announced. Tony immediately put aside the gauntlet he was working on and pulled up video footage on the nearby holographic screen. He watched as the two women climb out of the limousine and headed toward the elevator talking animatedly. He was gratified to finally see Darcy Lewis and relieved that she appeared to be unscathed by her cross country trip. 

“Jarvis, make sure they have everything they need, alright?”

“Of course, sir. I’ve introduced myself to Ms. Lewis and if I may say, she seems rather taken with me,” Jarvis said, good humor coloring his tone.

“Glad to hear it. Keep me posted?” Tony asked, adding, “And, get me Pepper on the line.” He watched as the women met Happy in security to collect Darcy’s apartment key and Stark Industries badge. Together they trundled into the elevator and made their way up to the forty-fourth floor.

As they disappeared into the apartment Pepper came over the line asking, “Tony is everything ok?” 

“She’s here, Pepper,” Tony informed her, cautious, yet happy as he fiddled with some tools on the table before him.

“Oh, good. I take it you haven’t met her yet?” Pepper asked. 

“Nope,” Tony said, as he continued to fidget. "Decided you were right and to let her get moved in before I see her. I’ll meet her when they come up to see the labs tomorrow.” He wanted to meet Darcy immediately but held back, unsure of his welcome and what he would say to her.

“Good. I really think that’s for the best,” Pepper reassured him, adding, “The apartments on forty-four should be ready. They didn’t need any repair work. Furniture was delivered this morning and housekeeping has already been by. I’m removing the floor’s residential rental designation and reallocating the enter floor private. You’ll need to decide later if you want to move her to one of the upper floors once the repair work is completed.”

“Yeah,” Tony said considering. “I’d like her closer I think. But – well, we’ll have to see.”

As curious as he was about Darcy he didn’t want to barge into her life and overwhelm her. He desperately wanted to make a good first impression. He had been giving their first meeting considerable thought and wasn’t sure how he planned to break the news. In some ways waiting and trying to get to know the girl held an appeal. Although, not telling her until later had a drawback, namely that he would be effectively lying to her while getting to know her. However, he thought simply dropping a bomb on her the first time they met had significantly more drawbacks. He was in a no-win situation. For now, he took comfort in knowing she was safe and secure in the tower.


	4. Have Taser Will Travel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NDA? What NDA? Jane learns you just can't take Darcy anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thank to thestancyg for the multiple beta-reads. Couldn't have done it without your help!

Waking up to a view of the Chrysler building was a far cry from the last time Darcy woke up. At some point in Illinois Darcy had woken to the sound of the bus’s bathroom door slamming shut, with a crick in her neck and boring, drab landscape passing her by. She much preferred the fresh scented, luxurious sheets, comfortable bed, and a spectacular view of the New York skyline. Feeling rested she sat up surprised with how late it appeared to be. She had fully expected Jane to drag her out of bed and into the labs at the break of day as the scientist had been chafing to get back to work. 

Jane arrived shortly after Darcy got up baring coffee, breakfast and disheartening news from legal. It would be another day before her equipment arrived from SHIELD. Apparently, bureaucracy moved just as slowly in secret government agencies as it did everywhere else. With a free day before them and Jane feeling out of sorts from wearing the same clothes for the third day, even if they had been washed, they decided to head over to her former apartment to pack up her personal items. 

On the way to Jane’s apartment, the two passed countless piles of rubble and innumerable construction sites. It appeared as if nearly everything in Manhattan had suffered damage during the invasion. Most remarkable were the businesses that remained open. Shops had taken to graffiti advertising to let people know they were still open behind their boarded-up windows. As Darcy and Jane joined the crowds traversing the city they couldn’t help but be reminded of the can-do attitude the people of Puente Antiguo had after their alien invasion. Both populations seemed to exemplify ‘if there is a will there is a way’ and got on with the business of life.

The two eventually took a taxi once they realized just how far Jane’s apartment actually was. The grid streets on their phone map just didn’t do the sheer size of the city justice. While the subway might have been an option neither felt up to trying to figure it out. Besides which, Darcy had had enough public transportation to last her for some time.

While waiting for traffic to move Darcy began to reconsider where they were going. “I know the lawyers said my NDAs would be taken care of today after they meet with SHIELD legal, but we are going to a SHIELD building. They might think they’re still in force.” 

“I guess,” Jane agreed absently. “But didn’t you say that I could still contact you under them? I found you. I made you come with me. It’s not like they can just arrest you for being with me.”

“Yeah well, you should have seen this agent in New Mexico, Jane. He got sort of scary at the end, demanding I sign the NDAs. I really was afraid he was going to throw me out of the lab,” Darcy said with a rueful aside. The agent’s intensity still bothered her as she had come to expect more of a detached demeanor from agents. “He was pretty adamant that I not talk to you. That’s why I’m not surprised you never got any of my messages. Why would SHIELD help me contact you when they were making such an effort to stop me from doing it in the first place?” she asked perplexed.

“What I don’t understand is why they even care. What does it matter who I talk to?” Jane questioned in disbelief. “I mean, I can maybe see their concern over who works for me, or who has access to my research but you’ve been with me for over a year. It’s not like there isn’t anything you don’t already know.”

“Well, let’s hope no one cares who we are. But we could run into trouble,” Darcy warned. SHIELD’s insistence that she never talk to Jane again troubled her. Why had they cared so much? Their behavior had Darcy’s defenses up and she didn’t trust them. 

“Do you really think so?” Jane questioned, mildly alarmed. “I mean, who else knows you signed the NDAs besides the agents in New Mexico. Sure, probably some others, but would they even know who you were or what you look like? It’s not like you look dangerous.”

“Hey! I’m dangerous! I have a taser!” Darcy protested, amused at the suggestion that she could look dangerous and felt the need to prove she could still be a challenge.

“Shh. Don’t talk about it,” Jane said hastily. “You know those things aren’t legal in New York. I can’t believe you’re carrying it around in your coat pocket!” Jane admonished her.

“Hey, you take a bus trip across the country alone and see if you don’t want a little extra protection,” Darcy suggested, remembering a few times she had taken comfort in knowing she had the small weapon on her person. “My taser gave me the peace of mind to actually get some sleep. I didn’t come across too many shady people but there were a few guys who gave me the heebie-jeebies. I’m just glad I never had to use it.”

“Me too. When I think about what could have happened to you-“ Jane began.

“Well, nothing did and you found me and we’re all good,” Darcy interrupted, trying to reassure her. She wanted Jane to stop focusing on what she had gone through and what might have been, as Darcy wanted to put it all behind her. All that really mattered was the present and that they could move forward together. 

“Yeah, I know, but still. I’m going to be very glad when we’re done dealing with SHIELD,” Jane said. “They’ve been nothing but a pain, constantly checking up on us. I was giving them regular reports and told them I’d report any interesting developments, but we had agents coming by at all hours of the day and night. It was ridiculous,” she complained. 

“Well, up until they got crazy with the NDAs they weren’t that bad really,” Darcy said considering their relationship with SHIELD before she had to sign the last round of NDAs. “If anything I think they were just overexcited about Thor and the whole aliens are real thing. They were intrigued by the prospect of space exploration. They wanted to be the first to know, if not the first to go. And you were their space goddess,” she added, poking Jane with a laugh.

“Oh please,” Jane protested, waving her off. “We both know it’s going to be a long time before we can send a human being through a wormhole, even if I could get one to open, much less remain stable.”

“Yeah, but they don’t know that,” Darcy pointed out.

“Oh, we’re here. That actually didn’t seem that far,” Jane said, reaching for the car door.

“Jane, it would have taken us all day to walk here. Trust me, it’s far,” Darcy said, reaching up to pay the driver.

Clambering out of the taxi they glanced around, and as nothing caught their attention, headed into the apartment complex. The SHIELD building looked like any other upper-middle-class apartment complex. It had some nice shrubs in pots framing the door and seemed quiet and unremarkable. They were accosted by the doorman at the concierge before they even reached the elevator.

“Dr. Foster, you are not allowed to be here,” the doorman said, upon seeing them.

“Excuse me?” Jane asked, taken back by the man’s abrupt greeting.

“You no longer work for SHIELD and as such, no longer have access to this facility,” was the man’s clipped response.

“I’m just here to get my things,” Jane explained.

The doorman gave her a sour smile and said, “You can no longer access your apartment so that won’t be possible.”

“I’ll only be a minute, I’ve barely unpacked,” Jane said reasoned. 

“As I said, that won’t be possible.”

“Hey man, she just wants to get her clothes,” Darcy interjected.

“If you don’t leave I will be forced to call security,” the man replied firmly.

“I just want to get my stuff,” Jane argued. 

“I’m sure SHIELD will have someone take care of it,” the doorman said evenly. 

Jane stood staring at the man frustrated but not ready to push further. With a disappointed sigh, she turned away saying, “Come on Darcy.”

They barely had taken two steps when 4 men in suits, who were obviously agents, came through the door. One strode toward them rapidly, saying, “Ms. Foster, we need you to come with us.”

“What? Why?” Jane stepped back, surprised by his insistence.

“It is important that we speak with you,” the agent stated, reaching for her.

Jane dodged him, and stepped back into Darcy asking, “What do you want?” 

The agent stretched forward to place a hand on her shoulder, to try and steer her away from Darcy saying, “It’s imperative that you move away from her.”

“What? Why?” Jane said in confusion, ducking under and away from him. 

Pulling Jane back towards her, Darcy muttered, “Great, I had a feeling something like this would happen.” 

Jane glanced at her reproachfully as they huddled against the front desk and muttered, “Not now, Darcy.” 

Suddenly one of the agents split away from the pack, and closed in on Darcy, growling, “You. You need to get away from her.”

Recognizing the agent that had been her nemesis in New Mexico and Darcy said flippantly, “Oh hey, can’t say it’s nice to see you.” She was unnerved to see the man. Considering how hostile he had been in New Mexico, Darcy was leery of what he was capable of now that she probably was breaking her NDAs. 

“You’re not allowed to be here,” the agent snarled at her.

“Yeah, that NDA didn’t really hold up,” Darcy said sarcastically, “Jane found me, no thanks to you guys.”

“Ms. Foster will you please come with us?” the other agent asked in a reasonable tone, reaching out to grasp her upper arm, managing to move her forward a few feet. 

“No, I will not come with you,” Jane snapped, pulling away and stepping aside only to bump into the agent towering over Darcy.

“You know its Dr. Foster,” Darcy helpfully pointed out in a cheery tone as she steadied Jane. “You might want to get that right, the woman has 3 PhDs.” 

The agents ignored Darcy and the first agent impatiently grabbed Jane’s forearm saying, “We just need to talk to you-" 

Jane resisted, digging in her heels, saying, “Well, I don’t want to talk to you. Now, let me go.”

Darcy reached out to intercede on Jane’s behalf, trying to pull her out of the agent’s reach. She was beginning to panic as the agents pressed closer. 

A tug of war ensued between Darcy and the agent with Jane caught up in the middle. Suddenly, the agent from New Mexico reached in and twisted Darcy’s hand free, forcing her to release her hold on Jane. The ongoing melee expanded as Darcy fought off the overbearing agent, yelling, “Ow! Let go of me.” 

“You’re in violation of SHIELD’s nondisclosure agreement,” the man snapped.

“I know,” Darcy yelled back, trying to pull her hand free. 

“This is ridiculous. Let go of me!” Jane cried, trying to stay on her feet as she was manhandled toward the door.

“I have a taser and I will use it,” Darcy threatened, dragging her feet as she reached into her coat pocket while the agent yanked her toward the entrance. 

“You need to come with us. You are in violation of your non-disclosure agreements which is a federal offense,” the agent said, letting go of her hand to try and take a firmer grip of her arm.

“I’m not going anywhere with you assholes,” Darcy yelled, finally able to wrench herself free, as she fumbled with her coat pocket.

The agent reached out to grab her again as Darcy pulled her taser out of her pocket saying, “I will use this.”

The agent ignored her and roughly grabbed her wrist, jerking her forward. Stumbling, Darcy grit her teeth and pulled the trigger, thinking only of getting away from him. Instantly, the agent shook in place, only to fall to the floor with the taser’s leads still attached. Stunned, everyone froze. It took a moment for the remaining SHIELD agents to react but they swiftly disarmed Darcy and put her in handcuffs.  


Shocked with everything happening so quickly, Darcy resisted the agents trying to march her outside, complaining loudly, “He attacked me. I was protecting myself!”

In the meantime, Jane was trying to fight off the agent restraining her. She too was quickly handcuffed and dragged to the waiting SUV all while yelling, “You can’t do this! You’re violating our civil rights!”

“She just attacked a federal agent,” one of the agents responded flatly.

“She warned him,” Jane snarled back.

At the curb, an agent could be heard saying, “You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be-“

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Darcy said with a laugh, dumbfounded to be read her rights. “Fine, I’m going, I’m going,” she added as an agent forced her into the backseat of the SUV. Jane was pushed in after her and they were quickly sandwiched between two agents.

“I know my rights and one of them is an attorney,” Darcy said sarcastically, as another agent spoke on phone just outside the driver’s door. Apparently, they were calling for backup. “Hey, Janey, you still have Stark’s attorney’s number?” Darcy asked flippantly.

Jane released a slightly hysterical laugh saying, “Sure, if they let us make a phone call.”

The agent finished his call saying, “They’re on their way. We’re clear to go.” 

As they pulled into traffic Darcy said into the silent SUV, “This sure wasn’t how I thought our day was going to go.”

“Be quiet,” the agent next to her ordered.

“Oh, bite me,” she retorted.


	5. Why is it always SHIELD?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Repercussions of dealing with SHIELD begin to be felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is rather short but the following two are extremely long and almost ready to post! 
> 
> Special thanks to thestancyg for the multiple beta reads!

Tony had been bracing himself all morning for his initial meeting with Darcy Lewis. He was anxious yet cautiously hopeful. From what he could gather from watching her wander through the building yesterday evening she was a bright, energetic girl. She seemed to have bounced back quickly from whatever trauma she might have suffered from her trip across the country. He knew though, that surveillance video didn’t do her justice. He needed to meet her in person to truly see her for who she was. He just hoped it happened soon. After a long morning in a board meeting, he was ready to immerse himself in work he actually cared about. He planned on taking Pepper’s advice and drop by Foster’s lab, suggest they get lunch together and finally meet Darcy Lewis. He was taking off his cufflinks when Jarvis interrupted.

“Sir, the legal department just received a rather alarming phone call from Dr. Foster,” Jarvis said suddenly. “It appears she and Ms. Lewis were in an altercation with SHIELD and both have been arrested. It would seem they attempted to enter Dr. Foster’s former apartment to collect her belongings and in the process, Ms. Lewis tased a SHIELD agent.”

“What?!” Tony burst out in surprise, caught between humor and horror. He hated to think what would have happened to cause Darcy to tase a SHIELD agent. At the same time, he could definitely see its appeal even with the drawback of being arrested. 

“As I said,” Jarvis began.

“Yeah, I heard you. What is legal doing about it?”

“Mr. Hanson has been made aware of the situation and is putting a legal team together. They are currently discussing who should go to SHIELD and what their legal stance should be.”

“Ok, good,” Tony said as he started to put his suit jacket back on. “Let Hanson know I don’t care what it takes. They need to be taken care of,” Tony said as he headed toward the elevator he had just exited. He was confident his legal department was more than up to the challenge but felt the need to remind them of the women’s importance. 

“I will do so,” Jarvis confirmed, adding, “I believe he has been appraised of your relationship with Ms. Lewis.” 

“He has?” Tony paused at the elevator door in surprise. He hadn’t been aware that anyone besides Pepper knew of the latest development. But, it was a small comfort. He knew Hanson would go the extra mile, knowing that the potential heir of Stark Industries was involved. Not that it had been acknowledged yet, but the man would know that Darcy would most likely be part of the company’s future.

“Yes, Ms. Potts needed to inform him in order to activate the New Arrival Plan,” Jarvis explained.

“Right,” Tony said with a nod. “Ok, well, at least he knows this is serious.” 

“I dare say so, sir.”

“I’m going to SHIELD, tell Hanson,” Tony said stepping into the elevator. On the way down he sent a text to Happy asking him to prepare the limousine; that they would hopefully need a pick up at SHIELD soon. Stepping out into the garage, Tony strode forward suddenly realizing that this must be what being a father felt like. Terrified and ready to set the world on fire to protect something he held dear. He hadn’t even met the girl but he was determined to do right by her.

 

Creating a scene in SHIELD reception in order to see Fury wasn’t that difficult. Threatening to sue someone always did the trick. Tony was quickly ushered into the director’s office. 

“Didn’t we do this already? What do you want now?” Fury snarled, as Tony marched into his office. 

“Oh, you haven’t heard?” Tony began flippantly, irrationally angry that Fury didn’t know, “Your agents arrested my dau-, Foster, and Lewis.” 

“On what charges?” the director barked out, clearly surprised.

“I don’t know. You’d have to tell me, they’re your agents,” Tony snapped.

Fury sat for a moment considering, before turning to his assistant saying, “Find out what’s going on.”

Just as she turned to leave the agent who had escorted Tony from reception stepped forward saying, “Sir, I believe I know what this is about. An hour ago we received word that there had been an altercation at one of SHIELDs residential units. A former resident and an associate attempted to access the building and refused to leave. They became violent with agents who were also attempting to access the site. They were brought in and are in holding.”

Fury shook his head in frustration and disbelief.

“Are you kidding me? They became violent?” Tony protested sarcastically. “They’re each about 100 lbs. soaking wet and you’re telling me they tried to take on your agents?” He highly doubted the circumstances as described were an accurate portrayal of events. 

“Sir, it was reported that they resisted arrest and that one of them used a taser on an agent,” the man explained.

Tony snorted, “Yeah, but why is the question.” 

“Stark. Let me handle this,” Fury requested sharply. 

“By all means. Handle away. But, I want to see them. And you should know legal is on their way,” Tony quickly replied. He needed to reassure himself that Darcy was ok. While he previously would have had faith in SHIELD, now he was less likely to trust that they wouldn’t mistreat a prisoner, particularly one that had lashed out at one of their own.  


With a frustrated sigh, Fury scowled saying, “Fine. Let’s go.”

 

SHIELD holding wasn’t so bad really, Darcy thought as she sat on a bench next to Jane, absently rubbing her wrists. It didn’t look anything like the holding cells on TV. There were no bars. Of course, there was a locked security door with a little window in it and they were sitting on a bare metal bench next to a metal toilet and sink. The camera in the corner gave the room a nice homey touch.

They had been silent on the way into the building and as the agents uncuffed them, both women too rattled to say anything. Darcy was still in shock from having tased the obnoxious agent. He had been horrible and scary and completely out of line, but she knew she probably shouldn’t have tased him, no matter how satisfying it had been. She had been scared, but she knew that wouldn’t matter when she was charged with assaulting a federal officer. Her arrest was sobering and she hated that Jane had been swept up with her. 

After they had settled on to the room’s lone metal bench Darcy asked, “You ok?” 

“Yeah, you?” Jane answered with a quiet sigh, slowly sitting back against the wall.

“Fine,” Darcy said, continuing to rub her wrists. The agent had left a bruise where he had grabbed her and the handcuffs had pinched.  


“At least I got to call Stark Industries before they took my phone,” Jane said despondently. “They said they’d send someone over right away. I can’t believe SHIELD arrested us. Who do they think they are?” Jane asked, warming up for a rant. “And why would they want to take me into custody? I gave them my notice yesterday. Legal said that was taken care of.”

“It’s SHIELD. Do they really need a reason?” Darcy asked tiredly, joining Jane against the wall. She didn’t know why Jane was so surprised. After Darcy’s most recent experience with SHIELD, she had even lower expectations of how they operated. Taking them into custody was just par for the course. 

“So much for your NDA being void, uh?” Jane said with a huff.

“Well, I did warn you. Though with the way they were acting I think they planned on bringing us in no matter what,” Darcy said observed, resigned.

Jane didn’t answer and simply slouched down further. After a moment she said quietly, “You probably shouldn’t have tased that guy.”

“Hey, they were jerking you around like you were a puppet and he had it coming. I’ve wanted to tase him since New Mexico,” Darcy said, oversensitive at the criticism. Initially, Darcy had been defending Jane but the menacing agent scared her. At no time did she think about what she was doing beyond getting them away from him. As it was, she hit the trigger on a reflex as she tripped; she hadn’t really been given a chance to think about it. Not that it mattered now. 

“He was in New Mexico?”

“He was a real asshole. He threatened to throw me out of the lab and take everything if I didn’t sign the NDAs. If he thinks they’re going to hold up he’s crazy. Besides, you came and got me. I had nothing to do with it,” Darcy said defensively. 

“I just don’t understand. How did they even know we were there?” Jane asked, agitated.

“What I want to know is what are they going to do now? I mean, resisting arrest? Not exactly the type of charges you think of when it comes to SHIELD. It’s not like they’re the cops,” Darcy mussed, worried about what other charges SHIELD would come up with. 

Jane grumbled, “I know they’re responsible or whatever for extraterrestrials and weird things, but I don’t answer to them. My work doesn’t have anything to do with that stuff.”

“Except, you know, where it’s about space and bringing aliens to earth,” Darcy helpfully reminded her, amused that Jane never associated what she did with the more esoteric sides of science.

Jane tapped Darcy lightly with her the back of her hand saying with a soft laugh, “Shut up.”

“Well, they obviously don’t like the idea of you leaving,” Darcy carried on. “I mean how many astrophysicists who specialize in studying wormholes to make a Rosencrantz and Guildenstern bridge can there be?” 

“Einstein- Rosenberg bridge and that’s what the wormhole is called, it’s not -” Jane began to explain testily.

“That’s what I said,” Darcy interrupted with a firm nod. “Now me? I think they just don’t like me. Agent Asshole seemed pretty excited about me breaking his precious NDAs.” 

“Stark’s attorney’s said yesterday SHIELD wouldn’t want to follow through on them. That it’d be too much of a headache,” Jane reminded her.

“That’s what they said and yet here we are,” Darcy pointed out. She had no illusions. Now that she had tased an agent, they would use the NDAs she signed to their full extent. It didn’t matter if they were supposed to be discharged; SHIELD could easily argue they were still in effect. 

“Yeah,” Jane agreed dejectedly.


	6. Fury’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fury finds out what has been happening within SHIELD and has to deal with some of the fallout. It becomes clear why Darcy has been given such a hard time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to thestancyg for her patient beta reading!

Trailing after Fury as he made his way through SHIELD was a nerve-wracking yet amusing experience. Tony watched as agents either scurried out of the way or came to attention as the man passed them by. He followed in the director’s wake, his anger tamped down and overrun by the fear that something was going to happen to Darcy before he even had a chance to meet her. Even Tony couldn’t deny attacking a federal agent was serious. He didn’t like the uncertainty hanging over him and was looking forward to his attorneys’ arrival. In this instance, he thought they could make a difference and it was disconcerting just how reassuring that was. 

“Agent Johnson would you care to fill me in on what is going on here,” Director Fury asked as he swept into the large open office connected to interrogation and holding. 

The lone agent in the room sprang to his feet saying, “Yes, sir. We apprehended a person of interest who attacked an agent.”

“Apprehended?” Tony said, with a snort, coming to a stop to the right of the director.

Ignoring him, Fury asked, “And why did this person attack a SHIELD agent?” 

“Agents were attempting to take an asset, one Dr. Foster, into protective custody and the woman accompanying her interfered in the matter. The woman is a person of interest and when an agent attempted to bring her into custody she resisted and proceeded to use a taser.”

“Protective custody?” Tony snorted. “Why the hell would you need to bring Foster into protective custody?” 

“Dr. Foster is a valued asset and was being brought in for her own protection,” Johnson explained vaguely. 

“How did you even know where to find her?” Tony asked suspiciously. He didn’t think it was a coincidence that the agents randomly showed up when the women were on SHIELD property.

“I can answer that,” another agent said, as he strode into the room. “Agent Schmidt,” he said with a nod to Tony. “We’ve had Dr. Foster under surveillance since she left the building three days ago.”

“Fury, did the message not get passed along that Foster doesn’t work for you anymore? Because they seem to be confused,” Tony questioned, sarcastically. He wasn’t really surprised with the agents’ behavior for all that he was disturbed by it. SHIELD had their own set of rules when it came to how they treated people, particularly those they thought they should have control over. 

“Dr. Foster is essential to national security and as such, cannot be allowed to leave SHIELD,” the agent replied.

“Say what, now?” Tony sputtered in surprise. Foster’s specialty was somewhat rare but Tony would never have expected her to be labeled essential to national security. It threw him that SHEILD would. It also disturbed him at how caviler the agent was in declaring that she was not allowed to leave SHIELD. There was an assumption of control that made Tony exceedingly uncomfortable. 

“As the sole expert in wormhole technology, it is SHIELD’s duty to protect her. We were bringing her in to discuss the matter of her employment,” Schmidt explained.

“Jesus Christ. Fury you need to get your thugs under control,” Tony said, exasperated. From what Tony understood, Foster had already come to an agreement with SHIELD legal regarding her employment. Having agents take it upon themselves to bring her into custody to ‘discuss’ the situation was a strong arm intimidation tactic. He wasn’t necessarily surprised but he had expected better. 

Ignoring him, Fury growled out, “This wasn’t part of any operation I was aware of Schmidt. Who authorized this?”

“It is part of the scientific division’s mandate to secure all resources related to national security. Dr. Foster’s work is a primary concern,” the man defended.

“So you just took it upon yourself to bring her in?” Fury questioned sharply.

“Sir, we are responsible for protecting all assets pertaining to our division,” the agent said warily.

“Fury, this is crazy,” Tony commented, appalled.

“Where is Dr. Foster now?” the director inquired.

“She’s in holding,” Schmidt replied, gesturing to one of the closed doors leading off from the large office they were standing in.

“And her assistant?”

“If you mean Ms. Lewis, she’s in holding as well. She’s going to be charged later today with assaulting a federal officer. We’re still organizing transport over to federal district court for her arraignment,” Schmidt answered.

“Fury!?” Tony burst out at the unsettling news. He knew there was a possibility that Darcy would be charged but to hear it discussed so matter of fact, was still shocking. 

“Not now Stark,” Fury said, dismissing him.

“Yes, now. You better not let this go any further,” Tony demanded. 

“What would you have me do?” Fury asked, turning to him. “She tased a federal agent. That’s not a misdemeanor. It’s a federal offense. It’s not something we take lightly.” 

“And, just what was the agent doing that caused her to tase him?” Tony shot back; sure something drastic must have taken place. 

“You know, you’re awfully concerned about someone you didn’t even know existed 3 days ago. Why do you care?” Fury asked with a sneer.

“Damn it, Fury, you know why I care. Now, are you going to do something about this or not?” Tony snarled in return, irritated that the man had the audacity to even ask such a question. Of course, he cared. Even if he hadn’t met Darcy, she was still his daughter and he would do anything he could to protect her. 

“Schmidt, who got tased?” Fury asked, turning back to the agent.

“Mitchell, sir,” the agent replied with a barely concealed wince. 

“Wonderful,” the director said, with a tired shake of his head, obviously not happy with the answer. “Any chance we can talk him out of pressing charges? I know he’s a stickler for rules but in this case, leniency would be useful.”

“I doubt it, sir,” the agent responded sympathetically. “You’ll probably have to order him. He had a run in with the girl before and is determined she be held accountable.”

“Before? How does he know either of them?” Fury asked, surprised.

“He was in charge of closing Dr. Foster’s facility in New Mexico. Ms. Lewis was there. It is my understanding there was a confrontation at the time,” Schmidt explained.

“Where is Mitchell now?”

“The infirmary. He’ll be down as soon as he’s released. He was pretty wound up over her NDAs.”

“Would you care to elaborate on that agent?” the director asked darkly.

“Uh, yes sir. Mitchell oversaw the signing of Ms. Lewis’ NDAs, which she violated. That was one of the reasons he wanted us to take Dr. Foster into custody. He thought she might be in danger.”

“He thought Foster was in danger? From who?” Tony asked, taken by surprise. 

“Ms. Lewis,” the agent responded. “It is my understanding she is a person of interest. SHIELD has had her under surveillance for quite some time. Mitchell thinks she could be a threat to national security.”

“What?!” Tony yelped, just as Fury asked, “Who made that determination?”

“I don’t know sir,” Schmidt said hurriedly, “But Agent Coulson was overseeing Dr. Foster before –“

“I see. Who took over for Coulson?” Fury asked, cutting him off.

“Agent Mitchell.”

“Who thought she was a threat because-” the director began with a resigned tone.

“Fury this is-” Tony tried to protest. He had heard enough to see they were already preparing their case. By designating her a threat to national security Darcy would be charged with everything they could come up with and she’d never stand a chance in court. It could be years before she saw the light of day, no matter how good his lawyers were. 

“Stark, I can’t do anything until I have the full story,” Fury shot back impatiently. “Agent, is there anything else I need to know?”

“I don’t believe so sir,”

“Fury?!” Stark demanded, worried about where the situation appeared to be going and wanting the man to put a stop to it.

“I’m working on it Stark. Schmidt, get Mitchell down here,” the man demanded tersely.

“Yes, sir,” the agent said, turning to leave.

Agent Johnson interrupted as he put his phone down, “Sir, attorneys from Stark Industries have arrived to represent the women we have in custody.”

“Of course they have,” Fury said with a sigh. “Fine, see them in. Might as well add some lawyers to this mess.”

“Yes, sir.”

“So are we done here? You’re releasing them?” Tony anxiously cajoled. It was clear the agents had misinterpreted Coulson’s actions and had mistakenly identified Darcy as a security risk. It appeared to him that everything that had happened was due to their own mishandling of the case. 

“It’s not that simple,” Fury responded.

“From where I’m standing it is that simple. Your agents have some half-baked idea that Coulson thought Lewis was dangerous. You and I both know that’s not true. So, no longer a problem.”

“Yes, there is a problem. It is up to the supervisory agent to determine if Lewis should be brought up on charges. And considering that’s who she tased, it’s a problem,” Fury snapped.

“It’s at your discretion to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Tony shot back.

“Stark she physically assaulted a federal officer. Even if I decide not to charge her, he could still press charges against her as a private citizen. He has that right.”

“You mean to tell me you can’t just order him?” Tony asked skeptically. He wanted to be sure Fury wasn’t going to allow some agent, who had made the mistake to begin with, press charges.

“I could,” the director conceded. “It would be better if we could explain the situation to him and he chose to not press charges on his own.”

“What situation would that be?” Tony asked cynically, curious to know just how Fury saw the situation. 

“Where taking an asset into custody against her will and charging her assistant with assault would jeopardize everything SHIELD is working toward,” Fury explained, annoyed.

“Which is?” Tony asked, wondering just what it was that SHIELD so desperately needed from Foster. 

“Isn’t it obvious Stark? We need Dr. Foster to continue her work on wormhole technology. It is imperative that she do so with our oversight.”

“Yeah, that’s going to happen,” Tony said sarcastically, doubting Foster would be open to working with SHIELD after everything that had gone on this morning.

“It can if we work together. You want Lewis released. We want access to Foster’s research. I think we can find some common ground here. Mitchell just needs to see that.”

Just then a large man stormed in, followed by Johnson and three well-dressed men who quietly surrounded Tony, greeting him with silent nods. 

“Director Fury,” the man greeted him imperiously. 

“Mitchell. Johnson and Schmidt have been filling me in on this morning’s events and what led up to them. Would you care to tell me why you’ve spent so much time on Ms. Lewis?”

“Director, Agent Coulson had her under investigation. He had tight surveillance on her in New Mexico. From his notes, I believe he thought she was a security risk. With such sensitive information being handled I thought it would be best to encourage her to leave Dr. Foster’s employment as soon as possible.”

“So you took it upon yourself to expedite her termination in New Mexico?”

“It seemed like a good time to cut ties,” the agent answered confidently.

“Why then did you take Ms. Lewis into custody today?”

“She was in violation of her nondisclosure agreements. She was fully aware she was not to be in contact with Dr. Foster.”

“You are aware that Dr. Foster has terminated her employment with SHIELD?”

“I am. That was why we’ve been tracking her movements. We needed to bring her in at the first opportunity to discuss the matter further.”  


“And you thought this morning was a good time to do so?”

“Yes sir, she was in the company of Ms. Lewis, who, as I stated, we believe to be a threat. I thought it best to separate them as soon as possible.”

“You didn’t think to do so would be a problem?”

“No, sir.”

“Why is that?”

“Sir?”

“Why didn’t you think bringing them in wouldn’t be a problem?”

“Well sir, they didn’t pose a physical threat.”

“That you were aware of.”

“That’s correct.”

“So you had no idea Ms. Lewis had a taser?”

“Not until she pulled it out.”

“So you saw it?”

“Yes.”

“Did she warn you she had it?”

“Yes, but I didn’t think she would use it.”

“Sir, how tall are you?” an attorney interrupted.

“6’3.

“And your weight?”

“230.”

“He is more than twice her size,” the lawyer observed. “I think we could argue false imprisonment and probably battery if she has any bruises from the altercation. Misuse of police powers. Lack of probable cause to detain her. We need to interview our clients and see the arrest reports of course, but I see some possibilities,” one of the Stark Industry attorneys said with a nod to Tony. “Now if I could see my clients?” he asked, directing his attention to the director.

“Fine. Johnson, get Stark’s attorneys a room.”

“Yes, sir,” the man said, turning to head deeper into the office. 

“So, Mitchell? Care to take this to court?” the director asked, “Or, can we handle this matter in-house?”

“Sir, there are extenuating circumstances that I think we need to consider.”

“Such as?”

“Coulson must have thought Lewis was a security risk if he had her under such tight surveillance, I think we need to take that into consideration.”

“Did her file indicate why she was under investigation or mention any threat that she posed?”

“No, sir.”

“What if I told you I knew why Coulson had Lewis under surveillance and it wasn’t because she was a threat to security?”

“Sir, I really think we need to consider all of our options. Dr. Foster deals with sensitive material. We can’t just let anyone be a party to -”  


“It had nothing to do with Foster’s research. Now we need to find a way to work with Dr. Foster and by extension, Ms. Lewis. Do you think you can find a way to do that?”

“Sir?”

“Ms. Lewis is not a threat. You’ve interpreted Coulson’s notes incorrectly. I need you to negotiate peaceful terms with Dr. Foster as she is a valuable asset we can’t afford to lose. If she doesn’t want to work for SHIELD, so be it. We aren’t in the business of holding people against their will. However, we should be able to maintain a relationship with her, if we are willing to make some compromises. Can you do that? Or, will that be a problem for you Mitchell?”

“But sir-“

“I asked will that be a problem?”

“No, sir.”

“Good. Now I’m asking you, do you want to press assault charges against Miss Lewis?”

Mitchell, obviously uncomfortable with the decision, bit out, “No sir. I will not be pressing charges.”

“Excellent. Glad to hear it. Now, can we get this settled so I can get on with my day?”

One of the attorneys stepped forward saying, “If I could clarify a few points? You will drop all charges against Ms. Lewis if Dr. Foster agrees to some conditions? What conditions did you have in mind?”

“Mitchell? Would you care to take this?” Fury asked the agent.

“Yes, sir,” Mitchell said, coming to attention. “We want access to all of her research,” he demanded. “Weekly reports. Oversight of all publishing and the use of the information she gathers, including prohibiting the dissemination of that information,” he said vehemently. “We’ll need access to her location at all times. I’m sure there are other areas we will need to discuss further.”

“We can discuss some of your requests,” the attorney conceded. “Although I can state unequivocally that Dr. Foster will not allow you to dictate when or what she publishes. That is not within your purview as she is no longer a SHIELD employee.”

“It is vital to national security, it is completely within our purview,” Mitchell argued.

“We can promise regular reports. What you do with that information is up to you,” the attorney offered. He continued, “No physical access, she is a private citizen and does not need SHIELD’s protection.”

“That’s not good enough,” Mitchell protested. “We need to have access to her at all times. It’s a matter of national security.”

“Mitchell?” Fury interrupted, barely concealing his impatience. “I think we’re overreaching here. If she agrees to give us access to her research and to stay in touch, I think that will be sufficient. From what I understand she isn’t anywhere near finding a solution to intergalactic travel or weaponizing a wormhole.”

“But sir-” the agent objected. 

The director abruptly turned away from the agent in dismissal and toward the attorneys saying, “Gentlemen, if you could draw up an agreement with our legal department for Dr. Foster to sign I believe we are done here. We will drop all charges against Ms. Lewis if Dr. Foster agrees to share her research with us and keeps us updated as to her location.”

“Of course,” the attorney said magnanimously. “There is one other matter I believe we should address now to avoid future problems.”

“That is?”

“The matter of Ms. Lewis’ non-disclosure agreements. We are currently working with your legal department to suspend those she signed a few weeks ago. However, as they were, in part, the cause of today’s incident, I believe we need to clarify their status. Can we all agree they are no longer valid? That Ms. Lewis is allowed full access to Dr. Foster, all of her research and that all communication is allowed between parties?”

“Yes. That will be fine. Mitchell, did you get that?”

“Yes, sir.”

Johnson, who had returned from securing a meeting room, interrupted, addressing the group of attorneys, “If you come this way you can meet with Dr. Foster and Ms. Lewis. I’ve called legal, they’re sending someone down.”

“Mr. Stark, Director Fury,” the attorney addressed them with a nod, “I’ll see that this gets handled immediately. Thank you for your help in this matter.”

Silence reigned for a moment as the attorneys trailed after Johnson. Mitchell was scowling and appeared ready to argue further, but kept his peace. Fury glanced at him and then over to Tony saying, “Stark if you have anything to say, save it. You have what you wanted. Let the rest be.”

“Thank you,” Tony said solemnly. His expression was somber and his stance steady, conveying just how sincere he was. He didn’t care how it happened; he was just relieved that Darcy was being released without consequences. He was well aware that she could have faced serious repercussions and her freedom was in no small part due to Fury’s personal handling of the case. 

Taken back Fury considered him, having expected a flippant retort he was openly surprised to be faced with a sincere Tony Stark. He nodded in recognition and stalked off.

Agent Mitchell glared at Tony, looking between him and Fury’s retreating back clearly wondering what had happened and what he had missed. He fumed for a moment before marching out of the room in a huff.

Tony watched him leave, grateful the man had been overruled by Fury. He knew, given a real choice the agent would have pressed charges. While he trusted his lawyers, Tony knew they would have had an uphill battle to gain Darcy’s release and in the meantime, she would have spent a considerable amount of time in custody. 

Knowing he should leave Tony remained, overcome with the need to verify the women really were released. Moments after Mitchell left Johnson returned to open one of the holding room doors. Seconds later Dr. Foster and Darcy Lewis stepped into the room. Darcy Lewis appeared perfectly fine, although at the moment she had a more sedate air about her. As Dr. Foster turned to follow Johnson she caught his eye and stopped in surprise, saying, “Tony?”

Fumbling for a moment Tony said with an amused tone and playful smile, “Can’t leave you alone for a minute Foster. You just had to stir things up with SHIELD.” Sobering he added, “Hanson sent some of his guys over, they’ll take care of you.”

“Oh. Thank you. I’m sorry about all this. Darcy and I were just trying to get my things. We never expected any of this to happen,” Jane explained.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you’re ok,” Tony reassured her. 

“We’re fine,” Jane said with a nod. Glancing over at the woman standing next to her she said, “You haven’t met my intern, Darcy. Darcy, this is Tony Stark, he’s why I found you.”

Darcy stepped forward to shake his hand saying with a weak smile, “Hi. It’s nice to meet you. I don’t know how you found me, but I’m glad you did.”

“It was my pleasure,” Tony said shaking her hand. He was apprehensive at finally meeting Darcy but it was happening so quickly he didn’t have time to over think it. He pulled on his friendly, professional mask and bluffed his way through. 

“Excuse me. But they’re waiting,” Johnson interrupted.

“Oh right,” Tony said with a nod. “Don’t let me keep you. Hanson’s guys should get you squared away. And you know, in the meantime, don’t tase anyone, ok?” he said with an amused smile.

“They confiscated it,” Jane replied curtly.

“I don’t make any promises,” Darcy said, with a delighted grin.

Tony chuckled as the women turned to follow Johnson. He called after them, “Foster there’s a limo out front to take you back to the Tower when you get out of here.”

She turned back to him, saying, “Oh. Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah, well. You’re going to need a ride home,” Tony said nonchalantly. “I’ll see you in the labs tomorrow?”

“We’ll be there,” Jane confirmed with a grateful smile. 

As they walked away Tony didn’t know what to think. It hadn’t been the most auspicious start, but then again he decided maybe that was ok. Meeting Darcy had been simple and matter of fact. Moving forward he could make more of an impression. For now, he had gotten the first meeting out of the way and he was gratified to see that Darcy’s experience this morning hadn’t dampened her spirits too much. She seemed pretty upbeat for having traveled across the country and been arrested all within 24 hours.

 

The document that the attorneys presented was straightforward even if it was in legalese. Finished reading, Jane commented, “Isn’t this the same arrangement we agreed to, to get my equipment back? We’re giving them my research, monthly reports and they have no control over my publishing or where or how I do my research or who I choose to work with.”

“It is. I don’t believe Director Fury was aware of the agreement we brokered with their legal department. I simply restated our existing agreement which he seemed to think was sufficient. As such, Ms. Lewis is free to go and all of your equipment and belongings will also be returned. I believe the first delivery was scheduled for this afternoon. It will most likely be waiting by the time you return to the tower.”

“You are a miracle worker,” Jane gushed, relieved. With a small laughed she added, “I thought I was going to have to sign away my firstborn to get out of here today.”

“I can’t believe it’s this easy,” Darcy said, skeptically. “It’s never this easy when it comes to SHIELD.”

“Let’s just take what they’re offering and run,” Jane responded gleefully. “I can’t imagine they’d give us a better deal.”

“Oh, I agree. I’m just worried it’s too good a deal.”

“I understand your concern Ms. Lewis,” the lead attorney said with a patient nod, “but we came to this agreement with SHIELD legal yesterday. It only needs Dr. Foster’s signature. The addendum for your release was verbally agreed to by Director Fury and while I normally wouldn’t trust an oral contract, in this case, I’m inclined to. Director Fury has a stellar reputation. Any promise he makes his legal department will see through.”

“I really hope you’re right,” Darcy said, still troubled with how easy their release seemed to be.

“I don’t care if it is too good to be true, I’m signing,” Jane declared, picking up a pen. As she signed Darcy said to her seriously, “Thank you. I’m sorry you had to do this.”

“Darcy, I already planned to. They’re the ones who got you off,” Jane said gesturing to the three attorneys sitting across from them.

“Well, I appreciate it anyway,” Darcy said, before turning to the men across from them saying, “And thank you for getting them to let me go.” She was fully aware she was lucky SHIELD wasn’t pressing charges. She had tased an agent, which Darcy knew was not something any federal agency took lightly. That she was walking away without repercussions was surprising, to say the least. 

“That’s quite alright Ms. Lewis. I’m just glad we could resolve the matter in your favor.”

The rest of the agreement was quickly finalized. Once signed, Johnson returned with someone from legal who countersigned the document and sent them on their way. The five of them walked out of SHIELD without receiving so much as a glance from the agents they crossed paths with. They split up at the front entrance with handshakes and additional thanks and then Jane and Darcy were once again on their own. They solemnly turned toward the waiting limo and nodding to the driver climbed in and fell back against its plush seats, exhausted.

“Let’s not do that again,” Jane said with a tired sigh.

“Yeah,” Darcy quietly agreed. Adding after a moment, “I’m sorry about this. Things got out of hand really fast.”

“Darcy. You’re not responsible for what happened today. SHIELD started it. And everything worked out, so it’s fine,” Jane said, reaching over to pat her hand in reassurance.

Darcy nodded thoughtfully and said, “Well, thank you. For everything. The last few days have been kind of intense.”

Jane laughed, “They really have. But it’s not your fault. It’s SHIELD’s. They’ve been nothing but trouble. I’m just glad we’re through with them. Well, mostly,” Jane added as an afterthought. Shifting gears she said, “When we get back we’re setting up the lab. Though, first, we need to go up to the roof to see if SHIELD’s equipment is still there. If it is, we need to get readings before they take it away.”

“Whatever you say boss lady. We’ll have the lab set up in record time,” Darcy agreed.


	7. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Darcy get to know one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thanks to thestancyg for brainstorming and of course beta reading!

It wasn’t that late by Tony’s standards, but the building had been closed down for quite some time when he left his workshop. Curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he headed down a floor to check in on Foster and Lewis. He hadn’t expected them to immediately head to their lab after the day they had had but they were still there. He had kept an eye on them via security camera throughout the late afternoon and evening, and watched as they investigated the roof, found their deliveries and explored their lab. He appreciated their obvious enthusiasm and how they moved seamlessly, indicating familiarity and comradery. 

“So Foster, you get everything from SHIELD? Or, do I need to go raise hell with Fury again?” Tony asked by way of greeting as he strolled into the lab. There were boxes everywhere and he was mildly alarmed at the amount of material surrounding them, as there hadn’t been this much when he had found her at SHIELD a few days earlier.

“Oh, Tony! Hi! Yes, I think everything is here,” Jane said, gesturing to the boxes around her. “I hadn’t unpacked most of it from New Mexico so – I don’t know for sure,” Jane explained, as she stuffed some folders back into a box. “Darcy said they didn’t leave anything behind. So, so far, so good.”

The brunette popped up from under a desk, with a friendly grin. “This lab is amazing! I’m never going to get Jane to leave.”

Tony gave her an appreciative smile, examining her for any sign that the events from earlier in the day were still affecting her. Reassured she was fine, he said offhandedly, “Glad you like it. Do you have everything you need? Foster, need me to build you anything?” 

“No, but thank you,” Jane said, “From what I can tell, everything made it in one piece.” 

“You must need something fixed. You have duct tape holding half your equipment together,” Tony said, looking around for one her machines to prove his point. 

“No, I don’t. And Darcy usually fixes everything,” Jane protested.

“Oh? You her mechanic?” Tony asked, turning to Darcy expectantly.

“Yeah. Well, more like her apprentice. But if it needs fixing I usually do it these days,” Darcy explained.

“So you’re the purveyor of the duct tape?” Tony accused, clearly amused. He had been wondering just where that DIY solution had come from.

“God no,” Darcy objected. “That’s Jane. Any duct tape you see is all on her. I’ve been gradually prying pieces of equipment out of her hands to make actual repairs but it’s hard going.”

“Hey, it still works,” Jane disputed.

“Well, I can make anything you need,” Tony quickly offered, “Or, Jarvis can order you new monitors or whatever else.” He wanted to purchase new, top of the line equipment for them, but resisted the urge, knowing he should follow Stark Industries procedures. While it wouldn’t necessarily be unusual for him to deviate from protocol he thought it best to avoid spending a lot of money and later be accused of trying to buy Darcy’s affection. 

“Oh, we’re fine for now,” Jane assured him. “Once we get everything hooked up we can get to work.”

Tony nodded, floundering about for something to say as he watched Darcy pull some cords out of a disorganized box. After a short awkward pause, Tony asked, “So I was thinking of ordering Chinese, would you ladies care to join me?” He hadn’t eaten and he knew they hadn’t either. Pepper had suggested lunch as an icebreaker, but why not a late night dinner since they were obviously pulling an all-nighter. 

“Sure!” Darcy said agreeably, as she hooked up a monitor. “Hey Jane, Chinese sound good?”

Jane looked up vaguely from a file she was paging through and said absently, “What? Oh, sure.” 

“We’ve lost her,” Darcy smiled fondly. Glancing over at Tony she explained, “Jane’s going to be insane for the next few weeks. Between organizing the lab and getting readings from the wormhole she’s in science heaven. It’s going to be all I can do to get her to sleep for the foreseeable future. I’m just grateful she let me sleep in this morning,” she added, exasperated. 

“I can appreciate choosing science over sleep,” Tony said with an understanding nod. “Hey, Jarvis? My usual and?” Tony asked looking over at Darcy.

“Oh, um. Beef broccoli and cashew chicken?” she said, adding awkwardly, “Neither of us is too brave until we get to know the restaurant.”

“Jarvis? You get that?”

“Of course, sir. I’ve placed the order with Ming’s. Delivery should take approximately 30 minutes.”

“30 minutes? What are they, in the building?” Darcy asked surprised.

“They’re just down the street but I order from there a lot. So they know me,” Tony explained. 

“Cool,” Darcy said as she began to hook up another monitor. “I was thinking about ordering but I don’t know the area yet so I didn’t know what would be open.”

“It’s New York. Everything’s open,” Tony said expansively, as he perched himself on a desk.

“Well, I wasn’t sure. This morning it looked like half the city was closed what with everything being under construction.”

“The area took a hit. But it’ll bounce back,” Tony said confidently. “Downstairs retail should be reopening this week. There are a few restaurants, a coffee shop.”

“That’s another thing!” Darcy said decisively. “First thing I do tomorrow is buy a coffeemaker. I left ours in Puente Antiguo.”

“Did you hear that Jarvis?” Tony called out. “Get her the newest Stark brand. And, anything else she needs.” He glanced at her, worried he might have overstepped, but wanting to help in any way he could.

“Right away, sir. Ms. Lewis if you would care to dictate a list of the items you would like to order for the lab, I can make arrangements to have a delivery made later this morning.”

“Jarvis, if you can get a coffeemaker delivered yet this morning you’ll earn my undying gratitude,” Darcy said with a laugh.

“I live to serve, miss,” Jarvis replied. 

Darcy glanced over at Tony, and asked with a smirk, “He always this snarky?” 

“Oh, he’s on his best behavior, wait until he’s known you a while. He’s a pain in my ass most days. Isn’t that right, J?” Tony said, delighted that Darcy was taking such an interest in Jarvis. 

“No, it is not,” Jarvis protested. “I have perfect decorum with everyone in the building,” Jarvis answered wryly.

Darcy grinned as she lifted a box on to the desk before her. “He’s really amazing. I’ve heard AIs were making progress but I had no idea they were so advanced.”

Tony beamed, gratified by her comment, “Jarvis did you hear that? I think she likes you.” 

“Yes, sir. I have enjoyed meeting Ms. Lewis as well. I believe we will have much to discuss.” 

Flailing about for something else to talk about Tony stumbled into asking, “Are your apartments ok? We’re doing repair work on most floors. Though I don’t think yours took much of a hit.”

“Oh, they’re great! You wouldn’t believe the view,” Darcy gushed.

“Good – good,” Tony nodded awkwardly. After another short pause, he offered, “If you need anything, just tell Jarvis. You know, groceries, furniture, whatever, he’ll take care of it.” Again, he was inclined to immediately buy anything she wanted or needed but held himself in check, instead offering assistance couched in vaguer terms, hoping she’d take advantage of the offer. 

“Yeah, I need to find a grocery store,” Darcy said absently, glancing up from rifling through a box. With a thoughtful frown she asked perplexed, “Are there grocery stores in Manhattan?”

“I think so?” Tony answered uncertainly, never having had to think about it before.

“Jarvis is there a grocery store around here?”

“There is an assortment of grocery stores and specialty shops in the area. However, it might be more convenient if you placed your order with me and I had it delivered,” Jarvis suggested. 

“Groceries delivered. I could get used to that,” Darcy said considering. “But I get the feeling we’d never leave the building if you can have everything delivered Jarvis.”

“That’s the idea,” Tony pointed out. 

“Just about everything, miss,” Jarvis corrected. “There is little I have found that I can not make arrangements for delivery. However, the occasional challenge does occur.”

Darcy laughed, charmed, saying, “Well, don’t tell Jane. I try to get her outside for sunshine at least every few days. Grocery shopping is usually my best bet. Although, until I figure out where everything is I think I’ll take you up on your offer Jarvis. We can’t eat takeout forever.”

“I can hear you, you know,” came a disgruntled comment from the neighboring desk which caused Darcy to grin and roll her eyes at Tony, saying, “You never know when she is actually listening. I’ll have entire conversations and Jane doesn’t hear a word. Make one disparaging remark and suddenly she’s all ears.”

“If you would like to start a list I can have groceries delivered to your apartment whenever it is most convenient. For Dr. Foster as well,” Jarvis suggested.

“That sounds great, though first I need to find Jane’s credit card. I’ll have to get back to you,” Darcy responded.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. Jarvis will take care of it,” Tony offered, stepping in with an easy solution. 

“What? Oh, can he take it directly out of our project budget?” Darcy asked, surprised. Adding after a moment’s consideration, “I guess that could work this one time. That’s another thing I need to do. Allocate funds now that we actually have funds! Hey, Jarvis can you make arrangements to take funds out to cover dinner tonight? Neither Jane or I have a lot of cash.”

“Oh, hey. My treat,” Tony said rushed to say, clumsily. He had intended Jarvis to take care of her groceries and other expenses, without dipping into their project budget, but was uncertain if he should explain, noting that Darcy seemed sensitive to how money was handled.

“Well, thank you,” Darcy said uncomfortably, suddenly unsure as she unpacked a box of books. 

“It’s an all-night science party right?” Tony hurried to say, trying to maintain the light-hearted atmosphere. 

“Yes, it is,” Darcy said with a laugh, relaxing again as she set some binders on her desk shelves. 

 

Dinner went well. Tony found it easy to relax and enjoy the jubilant atmosphere Jane and Darcy created between them. Their enthusiasm for their new lab was infectious and Tony was reminded of his college days when he had all night science benders with friends. He stayed on after the meal was over and found himself lifting heavy equipment and crawling on the floor to reach awkward outlets. The sun was just beginning to come up when Darcy called a halt to the proceedings. 

“Jane, you’ve tried to plug that cable in three times and keep missing. Here, give me that, I’ll do it. It’s time we went to bed,” Darcy declared, taking the cable out of Jane’s hands. “The lab will still be here when you wake up. Tony isn’t going to walk off with it and SHIELD can’t get in. So we’re good.”

“No Darcy. I want to finish getting the lab setup,” Jane argued.

“Look around, it’s up. But you’re practically falling over,” Darcy admonished. “Let’s get some sleep and then we’ll be fresh for when we hit the roof in the morning. Besides if you sleep now I can pretty much guarantee fresh coffee by the time you wake up, whereas right now – no coffee. Jarvis can do just about anything, but even he needs time to get things delivered. Right, Jarvis?”

“Even I have my limitations,” Jarvis wryly admitted.

“See? Now it’s time for bed. We’ve been promised fresh coffee when we get up,” she said decisively. 

“Foster, I’m all for all night science, and as much as I hate to admit it, she’s right. Get some sleep,” Tony agreed tiredly. He could see that both women were flagging and wasn’t above encouraging a fellow science junky to go to bed, as he planned to do so as well. 

“Fine,” Jane said with a scowl. “But first thing in the morning we’re taking the alpha radiation survey meter up on the roof and calibrating it. SHIELD could come get their equipment at any time and I want to be prepared before they do. Based on SHIELDs numbers the area where the wormhole was is still emitting radiation.”

“Uh, you couldn’t have mentioned that earlier?” Darcy asked, suddenly concerned.

“It’s just alpha and some beta radiation. Not enough to hurt anyone,” Jane said, waving off her concerns.

“Ok, I’m going to go with that being a good thing,” Darcy said, somewhat doubtfully. “And I’m working on the assumption that if it were bad SHIELD would have evacuated Manhattan, or at least closed down the building.”

“Eh, as long as we’re not the roof that long we should be fine,” Jane said dismissively. 

“Jane!”

“I’m kidding. Jeez, can’t you tell when I’m kidding?” Jane protested.

“No, not when you’re this tired. When you’re this tired, you’re nerve-wrackingly honest,” Darcy complained. “Which is a concern and the best chance I have at getting blackmail material. Now, let’s go to bed.”

“Fine,” the scientist grumbled as she followed Darcy to the door.

Tony joined them on the walk to the elevator and was amused as he watched them slouch through its doors to lean simultaneously against its wall with tired sighs, “Aren’t you coming?” Darcy asked blearily.

Tony snorted, and said, “Wrong direction, I live in the penthouse.”

“Oh! Right. Well, good night,” she said as the doors slide slowly shut.

Tony took the elevator up to the penthouse content with how his night had gone. It was with a satisfied smile that he crawled into bed. Darcy was a delight. She was everything he didn’t even know he was hoping for. She had a vivacious spirit and was quick to laugh and include others in her joyful discovery of the world. He was surprised with how swiftly she recovered from her trip across the country and her morning’s arrest. It didn’t appear to have fazed her at all. He liked that she had a kindness and softness to her, but it worried him that she was vulnerable to being taken advantage of. He had been concerned that Foster was too blinded by her work to appreciate Darcy as she hadn’t done a good job on following through when Darcy had been missing. But he was prepared to write that off as SHIELD’s manipulation now that he had seen the two women at work. There was an obvious friendship based on a passion for science and mutual caring. While Darcy was the organizer and instigator of fun, Jane was the voice of reason and experience. They complemented one another well.

 

The following morning Tony arrived at his workshop to find a paper bag at the foot of the door. Curious, he picked it up and was assaulted by the fresh scent of bacon. “Jarvis, do we have breakfast fairies now?” he called out as he walked into his sanctum.

“No sir. Ms. Lewis and Dr. Foster stopped by on the way to the roof. They do not have clearance for this floor but I granted them access once I learned they were attempting to bring you breakfast. I did not believe they posed a security risk and you do know how I encourage you to eat meals.”

“They’re already on the roof?” he asked surprised, glancing at the clock as it was barely 10. He generally operated on 4 to 6 hours of sleep but he hadn’t expected to see them before noon. 

“Yes sir, they arrived approximately 10 minutes ago and Dr. Foster appears to be quite excited by what she has found thus far.”

“Pull them up on the monitor will you?” Tony asked as he began to unwrap his sandwich. Jarvis produced rough video from an odd angle but Tony was easily able to see both women were focused on the readings they were gathering. Satisfied they were safely occupied Tony finished his sandwich and got on with his morning.

It was midafternoon when he finally looked up from soldering his suit. Hungry, he considered a protein shake only to remember Darcy. Glancing at the clock he groaned as it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner and he assumed he had missed his chance. Still hopeful, he called out, “Jarvis where’s Darcy and has she had lunch yet?”

“Ms. Lewis is currently in the lab with Dr. Foster and they have not had lunch,” Jarvis replied.

“Well, that’s good,” Tony said with a tired sigh. Washing up briefly he readied himself to pay them a visit. 

They quickly fell into an easy routine. Most mornings, Tony arrived at his workshop to find a breakfast sandwich, and when possible he had a late lunch with Darcy and Jane in their lab. He hadn’t eaten so many regular meals years. He often stayed longer than he intended and got to see the team of Foster and Lewis in action. Jane was single-minded in her pursuit of science and Darcy was just as dedicated to tailoring their lab to fit their needs. Tony was impressed with their drive and organization. He noted just how casually Darcy worked on engineering projects and equipment repairs. Jane, more often than not, left her to it, content to work on the science aspect instead of the mechanics. She seemed to have complete faith that Darcy had the intricate machines and sensitive equipment well in hand.

Tony intended to talk to Darcy about what he had learned from SHIELD but he was cautious, not wanting to disrupt the easy friendship that was growing between them. It was rare for Tony to find someone not enamored of him, his money or his reputation. But both Darcy and Jane seemed to look right past it and accept that he was just another scientist. His identities ‘Tony Stark’ and Iron Man didn’t seem to matter as they covered any number of topics, rarely ever straying into his public personas. It was more of a relief then he expected. He was hesitant to change the easy comradery the three of them were building. 

 

A week after Darcy and Jane had settled into their lab, Tony arrived for lunch prepared to pick up their unnerving discussion of whether Manhattan’s wormhole could be reopened from their side. Instead, Darcy met him at the door and steered him toward the elevator, dragging Jane behind her. 

“Alright, you two, we’re going out to lunch. Jane, you haven’t been outside in days. And, the roof doesn’t count, that’s work. Tony, I don’t know if you’ve left the building but you spend as much time in the labs as we do, so you’re coming too. I found a diner and we’re going to try it.”  


Reluctant to argue, Tony followed in Darcy’s wake, amused to be taking orders from a 21-year-old, but willing to go along. Wary of the usual circus that accompanied his presence in public, Tony was pleasantly surprised by the low-key diner and they had a peaceful, relaxed lunch. Later, when the bill arrived Darcy snatched it up before he could reach for it and as he began to protest she said, “Ah-ah, this is my treat. I insisted you come. Besides, I’m actually getting paid now.”  


Tony could see the pride in that statement, so graciously accepted, while reflecting with a mental wince how things could change in the future. Money changed people. Not always for the better. Darcy had shown exceptional character in dealing with setbacks. Independence and resilience she had, but he worried good judgment might be an attribute she lacked. He hoped her strengths would see her through what would be a challenging turn of events once the truth of her parentage came out. He knew the money involved would upset anyone’s worldview. But he was hopeful and comforted with how grounded she was for being so young.

 

The next day Tony swung by the lab for lunch and found Darcy cackling over her cell phone.

“So, you’re my sugar daddy,” she greeted him with a gleeful laugh.

“Say what, now?” Tony asked, horrified by the implication but also terrified Darcy had somehow learned the truth. 

Darcy continued laughing and explained, holding out her phone for him to see, “The paparazzi got some pictures of us yesterday and now there’s speculation as to whether you’re sleeping with me or Jane. Apparently, I’m winning the pool as the most likely candidate to break up Iron Man and his leading lady, Pepper Potts. We’re supposedly fighting over you. Tell Pepper I’m willing to agree to no hair pulling but I don’t deny enjoying a good slap fight.”

“Please tell me you’re kidding,” Tony begged, weak in relief but also appalled at the suggestion that they were in a relationship.

“What? About a slap fight? Of course, I am. I’ve never been in one, though they look funny on TV,” she said with a mischievous grin. 

“No. God,” Tony fumbled helplessly. “No, I meant the –. The pictures –.” It was a rare occasion Tony found himself at a loss for words, but just then he was struggling to express how horrified he was without having to explain why. 

“Hey, it’s not that big a deal,” Darcy said dismissively. “They don’t know our names and it will die down in a day or two. It’s just gossip. It’s not hurting anyone.”

“Still, I’m sorry. It must have been a slow news day,” Tony replied, shaken.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not,” Darcy said with a shrug as she handed him a takeout menu saying, “New rule. You have to order something with vegetables. If I’m making Jane eat her veggies, then you are too.”

Tony argued but in the end, ate his salad without complaint. He found he really didn’t mind Darcy’s orders as they were couched in gentle concern. He was reminded of Pepper and her flair for getting him to take care of himself when she was his PA. There were worse influences he had had in his life.


	8. The Impossible, Probable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth comes out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to thestancyg for the beta reading and brainstorming! 
> 
> This was difficult to write. Hopefully, it's not too sappy.

About a week later Jane had a massive breakthrough and they pulled an all-nighter, double checking calculations to use in a new program she wanted to run. Just before the sun came up Darcy was able to convince her to take a power nap on the new extra-long couch Jarvis had delivered for just that purpose. The two of them had curled up in their respective corners for 3 hours and were now in need of a good meal to keep them going for another 24. Darcy headed out to their new favorite diner for breakfast sandwiches and to clear her head with some fresh morning air. 

The morning took a surreal turn when Darcy returned to the tower to find it inundated by the press. TV vans were arriving and news crews were setting up next to a massive line of photographers. As she drew closer she tried to see just what was holding their attention as there didn’t appear to be anything in the tower’s plaza. She got within 20 feet of the front door when she heard someone say, “I think that’s her!” “Are you Darcy Lewis?” “That’s her!”

Turning in response to her name Darcy was instantly blinded by the flash of dozens of cameras going off simultaneously. Suddenly, the press converged, thrusting cameras and microphones in her face, yelling, “Are you Tony Stark’s daughter? When did you find out you were Tony Stark’s daughter? How long have you known Tony Stark was your father? Who’s your mother? How much money is he going to give you?”

Stunned and barely able to hear over the bedlam Darcy tried to answer, “What? No. No. Of, course not. Tony is not my father.” 

Stumbling backward until she hit the tower wall, Darcy was overwhelmed by the sound and the mayhem surrounding her. The horde of journalists penned her in yelling questions and taking pictures. Panicking she began to fight her way forward only to be pushed back by the crowd. Getting repeatedly jostled, the tray of coffee Darcy was carrying got knocked from her hands and in the confusion a hole opened in the crowd. She made a break for it, using her bag of takeout as a battering ram to push people out of the way. Stark Industries security met her halfway to the door and were able to part the crowd the rest of the way. 

Once in the tower’s atrium, Darcy stood shaking, gasping for breath, stunned by what had just happened. 

“Miss, are you alright?” one of the guards asked.

“I - yeah. I’m alright,” Darcy said, before slowly sinking into a nearby chair. Outside, security guards were ushering photographers and journalists back toward the sidewalk and others were dragging barriers out to form a path to the entrance. 

“Of course, we’re happy to be of assistance,” the security guard was saying above her. She heard him only distantly add, “Although, you should let us know when you go out again, so we can provide security.”

“Uh, yeah,” Darcy mumbled, not following what he was saying. With shaking hands, she righted her glasses and brushed her hair from her face. One of the doors opened allowing the noise from the street bombard the echoing room, jostling her from her daze. Suddenly everything was incredibly loud. Putting her head in her hands to gather her thoughts, Darcy tried to breathe. She sat quietly for another minute, as the guards and tower employees went about their business. Just as she raised her head, Tony appeared saying, “Oh god. Darcy? Are you ok?”

“Uh, yeah. I think so,” she said slowly, beginning to regain focus. 

As much as Tony was relieved to see her he was concerned with how shaken she appeared, although he wasn’t surprised considering she had just been overrun by the press. Needing to get her out of such a public venue he asked, “Can you stand?”

“Oh, yeah,” she said, staggering to her feet. As Tony reached out to help her keep her balance, she picked up a battered bag of takeout and they collided. He stepped back and keeping his hand on her elbow, steered her toward the elevator. Tony hovered closely as they silently took the elevator to the labs. Arriving, Darcy absently set the bag of takeout on the counter, took off her coat and turned to stare blankly at Tony before letting out a strained laugh saying, “The paparazzi think I’m your daughter.” 

Tony stepped forward and gently guided Darcy to her desk. Pulling up a chair across from her he calmly said, “Yeah, about that, there’s a fairly good chance you _are_ my daughter.” He waited for a response, not knowing what to expect considering what she had just been through. He would have preferred to have waited and told her another way but given the circumstances, he wasn’t left with much choice.  


Darcy stared at him with a growing look of confusion. When she failed to respond he continued, “I’m sorry you had to find out this way. I was going to tell you this week.”

“So it’s true?” she asked, unsure.

“Yes, it’s true,” he confirmed. 

Darcy blinked at him silently with knitted brows, before stuttering, “That can’t – What?” 

“Yeah,” Tony said, with a nod and a small, sympathetic smile. He understood her incoherence. She had just been through a shocking experience and was facing yet another. He braced himself for anything. Laughter, anger, rejection they all seemed just as likely as the other.

“That’s not possible,” she protested.

“No, just highly improbable,” Tony responded, with a low chuckle.

“I’m adopted. Even I don’t know who my father is,” Darcy insisted. 

“Yes. You were adopted,” Tony agreed, hoping that by repeating the statement its implications would dawn on her. 

“But-” Darcy said helplessly, clearly at a loss.

“Yeah,” Tony said with a sympathetic nod. He was relieved to see her trying to work things out as it meant she was getting past the shock.

“No. This is crazy,” she insisted. 

“Pretty much my response too,” Tony said, commiserating with her as he recognized the fluctuation of emotions she was going through. “I’ve just had more time to wrap my head around it.” 

Darcy stared at him for a moment before arguing, “It can’t be. It just-” Stopping and then starting again she took a moment to organize her thoughts and finally asked, “How?”

Tony waited for her to continue and when she didn’t, he said, “A SHIELD agent sent me a file.”

Darcy frowned confused and asked, “SHIELD? What do they have to do with it?”

“Ah, yeah. Funny story that. Do you remember SHIELD taking blood samples after Thor’s visit last year?”

“Yeah,” she vaguely answered. 

“Well, they ran some tests, sent it through their database and got a hit,” Tony explained, adding with an unconcerned shake of his head, “They didn’t tell me. I probably never would have known if it hadn’t been for this agent - Coulson. He sent me a file before he died.”

“Coulson?” she asked, surprised.

“Yeah, you might have known him. He was in New Mexico. He put the file together on you,” Tony supplied.

“Yeah, I knew him,” Darcy responded solemnly. She had liked the agent with his dapper, yet stodgy flair and hadn’t known he had died. 

“He actually had you under surveillance, I guess he thought you might need protection,” Tony explained. “The thing is, he never told anyone. SHIELD got his notes and thought he was investigating you because you were a threat to security,” Tony clarified, wanting Darcy to know the extent of SHIELDs involvement. 

“What?” she asked, startled.

“Yeah. Crazy, I know. But that’s why you were on their radar,” Tony clarified. 

“That’s insane. This is all insane,” Darcy protested in disbelief.

“Not going to argue that,” Tony said affably. 

“That’s why SHIELD was so ridiculous? They thought I was a threat to security?” Darcy asked, dumbfounded. 

“It’s SHIELD,” Tony responded with a dismissive shrug, no longer concerned with the agency now that their dealings with them were done. 

“And, they think you’re my father?” Darcy asked, bewildered. 

“Yes, according to SHIELD I am your father. We’ll need to run our own test to be sure but in this case, I’m inclined to believe it,” Tony said, adding unconcerned, “I can’t imagine why they’d lie about something like that.” 

“I don’t know what to say,” Darcy said disconcerted. She really was at a loss. Between her run-in with the press, the news that Tony was her father, and that SHIELD was involved and thought she was a security threat she didn’t know what to think. Separately each was insane and combined incomprehensible. 

“Completely understandable,” Tony said agreeably. All things considered, he thought Darcy was doing remarkably well handling the news that not only was he her father, but that SHIELD was the reason they knew at all. Factor in the run-in with the press less than 30 minutes ago and he was impressed she was coherent at all. However, for as well as she was doing, Darcy was visibly shaken. With her obviously reeling he tried to reassure her, saying thoughtfully, “I didn’t know what to say at first either. But now I would say this is a good thing. I’m glad I know.” 

Darcy looked at him in surprise, taken back as she hadn’t quite caught up yet and wasn’t ready to hear him say something like that. 

Tony smiled at her and said, “Don’t look so surprised. You’re a pretty great kid.”

She laughed in disbelief, the strain she was feeling lessening with her incredulity. Emotionally overwhelmed, she looked at him in amazement and said with an affectionate smile, “You’re pretty great too.”

“Of course I am. And of course, _you_ are,” Tony said with a self-assured smirk.

Darcy laughed again amused by Tony’s ridiculousness, releasing more tension. She starred a Tony for a moment, still unsteady, just trying process the information that had been thrown at her in the last few minutes. Slowly a small frown formed and she said, “Wait. It’s been over a year since Thor landed. How long has SHIELD known?”

“Oh, this is where it gets good,” Tony said, flashing her an insincere smile. “They’ve known for over a year, they just didn’t bother to tell us. According to SHIELD’s director – Fury - you didn’t need a father like me, and I didn’t need the distraction of having a kid.” He didn’t like to admit that, either part, but he felt he owed her the truth. 

“Well that’s – I mean, - Assholes,” she said in a disgruntled huff. She considered him for a minute and cocking her head asked curiously, “So when did you find out?”

“Two days before I met you,” Tony answered succinctly, fully prepared for the question and the rest that followed.

“So you knew when we met?” she asked. 

“I did,” Tony said with a nod, bracing himself for the possibility that she would feel angry or betrayed by his lie of omission. 

“But you didn’t say anything,” Darcy said questioningly.

“You had just been arrested. I didn’t think it was the best time,” Tony explained.

“But you’ve had all this time since then. It’s been over two weeks,” Darcy complained, troubled that he had known and kept it from her.

“Time to get to know you,” Tony emphasized. Hoping to make her understand he added, “I wanted to have a basis for us to build something. I was going to tell you this week. I wanted to let you get settled in first. You’ve been working nonstop since you got here and-”

“Is that why you come for lunch?” Darcy interrupted, with a small frown, adding, “We just thought you were lonely.”

“I came to lunch because I wanted to get to know you,” Tony said, adding mildly offended, “Not because I’m lonely. I liked hanging out, don’t you?” 

“Well, yeah,” Darcy scuffed. 

She looked at him solemnly for a moment before asking, “Is that why you helped Jane find me?”

“Yes,” Tony answered, quickly clarifying, “But if I had known what SHIELD was doing, I still would have helped. It wouldn’t have mattered who you were.” 

“But you did it because you thought I was your daughter,” Darcy stated pensively, considering the situation. She was somewhat uneasy by the idea that he only helped because of who she was, although why it bothered her she couldn’t specifically say. 

“Well yes, but it was the right thing to do. You were taking a bus across the country all alone, with no place to go. Of course, I was going to help,” Tony said defensively, apprehensive at her unspoken criticism. He knew the conversation was going to veer in this direction and it had worried him because he really had no other explanation. 

She studied him for a moment and said with a thoughtful nod, “Yeah, ok. You found me. That’s the important part. It might not have turned out as well as it did if you hadn’t.” 

“Ok?” Tony questioned, somewhat surprised she accepted his explanation so easily. He had fully expected something further, a complaint or protest of some sort.

“Yeah, I get it,” she said with a shrug. “You helped Jane when she needed it and got me out of bad situation,” she said, clearly not as concerned about the circumstances as Tony thought she might be. 

“Oh, well good,” Tony said relieved, willing to accept a reprieve from a potential argument. 

They were silent for a moment, neither quite sure what to say, as their first disagreement had waylaid exploring what was otherwise going on between them. Darcy looked away, uncertain, before tentatively asking, “So now what?”

Relieved, Tony sat forward as he had been anticipating this part of the conversation. He knew what he wanted, but tried to reign in his hope, knowing that Darcy needed to decide for herself whether she wanted to acknowledge their relationship. “Now,” Tony said, pausing to consider what he was saying, “we can do nothing and keep going as we have been. Or, you know, we could decide to – well – we could be –that is if you want we could -.” He said gesturing vaguely, between them. 

“To what?” Darcy asked, confused and somewhat wary. The whole situation was unsettling, and she wasn’t fully understanding what he was gesturing about. 

“I don’t know,” Tony complained, slouching back in his chair. “I’m not exactly an expert on what to do when you find out you have a kid. An adult kid, but you know, a kid. This is all new to me,” he whined. “I’m not really sure what to do as a dad.”

Darcy laughed, relieved and surprised by his outburst. “Yeah, I get that,” she acknowledged. “I’m not sure what to do as a daughter. I mean, I had a dad. I had a mom, too. And now,” Darcy broke off with a pensive awkward shrug. 

“You don’t have either,” Tony gently filled in. “But you have me….if you want,” Tony offered. He held his breath wanting her to accept what he was offering and hoping too that he knew what he was doing. He was learning that fatherhood was not for the faint of heart. 

Darcy appraised him. She was hopeful and yet still not quite trusting the conversation they seemed to be having and said tentatively, “Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” Tony replied softly. Pausing for a moment he quickly added the disclaimer, “I mean, I’ll probably screw up. But, yeah. I want to be - or you know, could be- if you want-”

“Oh,” Darcy said in a breath. “That’s – I’d-” She said brokenly, suddenly soft and fragile as she looked at him optimistically. 

“Yeah?” Tony asked encouraging, with the beginnings of a grin, relief, and hope crashing through him as he recognized her acceptance. 

“Yeah,” Darcy said smiling back at him, her voice cracking in the end, as her eyes became wet. 

Tony rolled forward on the chair he was sitting in and opening his arms said, “Come here.”

Darcy laughed, her voice breaking with tears as she leaned into his arms.

They hugged for a moment and a calm sort of amazement settled over each of them. Pulling away, Darcy wiped a few tears away, chucking with Tony as he cleared his throat. They smiled, glancing shyly at each other, letting the moment carry, each feeling overwhelmed and not quite believing what they had agreed to. 

With a self-conscious laugh, Tony rolled his chair back and cocking his head, assessed her. It was hitting him that he had a daughter. He grinned at her. “You sure you want to be my kid?” he asked.

Darcy laughed in delighted relief, surprising herself with how carefree she felt and said with a bright genuine smile, “Yeah, I think so. I’d like you to be my---dad?”

“Dad,” Tony enthusiastically confirmed.

“Dad,” she agreed grinning excitedly. 

They shared another laugh and continued to grin at one another. Overwhelmed, Tony rolled his chair back a bit further, ran his hands through his hair and chuckled, “Well, that went better than I expected.”

“What were you expecting?” Darcy asked with a note of false outrage.

“I don’t know. I was braced for anything,” Tony denied helplessly.

“Well, I think it went pretty well, too,” Darcy admitted with a satisfied smile. 

They nodded happily at one another in agreement and then were stuck again, not knowing how to continue. Tony looked at Darcy thoughtfully searching for something to say when he saw the battered bag of takeout sitting on the counter. Needing a break he walked over and opened it saying, “I could use some coffee. Why don’t we eat breakfast?” 

“Um, yeah,” Darcy said with a nod, welcoming the distraction as she needed a chance to catch her breath. With a short laugh, she offered, “I’ll make coffee. I lost ours outside.” Glancing around, she asked, “Where’s Jane?” suddenly aware that the astrophysicist was missing. 

“Jarvis, where’s Foster?” Tony called out.

“Dr. Foster is currently on the roof. I believe she is gathering data.”

“Argh,” Darcy voiced, disgruntled. “She’ll be up there all morning if I don’t get her. I’ll be right back. Here, warm up the sandwiches. I’ll make coffee when I get back, yours is horrible,” Darcy said.

Tony watched Darcy go, thinking that their conversation had gone better than he expected, given the circumstances. He deeply regretted she learned the truth the way she had. He was just grateful Jarvis had notified him of the security situation and why it was occurring so he could get to her quickly. But as much as it was a nightmare situation, Darcy seemed to have weathered it better than he could have predicted. As he began to microwave the sandwiches he called out, “Jarvis, let Happy know we’re going to need to up security if he hasn’t done it already. Might need to get a team lined up for Darcy and probably someone for Jane, too. And tell Hanson I’ve had my first conversation with Darcy but the rest of the New Arrival Plan is on hold for now. And, see if he’s got anything to report yet. And, get me Pepper.”

“Right away, sir. I apologize for not notifying security sooner on Ms. Lewis’ behalf. I was unable to ascertain why journalists had arrived at the tower until it was too late to intervene.”

“Yeah buddy, you did the best you could. No one was expecting it.”

Pepper suddenly came over the line saying, “Tony? Is Darcy ok? Security just updated me.”

“Yeah, Pepper. She’s ok. I told her. She took it well. Surprisingly, well,” Tony said, relieved.

“Oh, I’m glad. Are you doing ok?” she asked, sounding pleased.

“Yeah, I’m good,” he answered definitively. Tony paused for a moment and said with a delighted disbelieving laugh, “I’m a dad, Pepper. Considering the mess with the press it went really well.”

“Do you have any idea how they found out?” Pepper asked, worriedly.

“Hanson’s is looking into it. But, Good Morning America broke the story.”

“Good Morning America?” Pepper repeated, shocked.

“Yep. I haven’t told Darcy yet, but it looks like SHIELD documents. They have a copy of the paternity test. They must have paid good money for it. Hanson will know more soon.”

“PR called,” Pepper said, business-like. “They’re scheduling a press conference for later today. I pulled the announcement we drafted in case we had to implement the New Arrival Plan. They’re tailoring it now. We’ll need Darcy’s input.”

“I’ll talk to her and get back to you,” Tony said reluctantly. He was not looking forward to the rest of the morning’s expected conversation. He knew it was going to be involved and might get messy. 

“Ok. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Will do.”

 

Moments later Jane and Darcy returned to the lab, lugging some equipment between them. 

“That’s insane,” Jane was saying, as she slowly lowered her side of the machine to the floor, just inside the door. “That’s why SHIELD was all over us? And, they didn’t even know why they were watching you?”

“I guess not. The only person who knew was Coulson and when he died, they jumped to the wrong conclusion,” Darcy explained as she placed her side of the contraption on the floor. 

“Oh, Tony, hi,” Jane said, coming to a quick stop, surprised to see him. 

“So you know?” Tony asked expectantly. He watched Jane carefully, trying to determine how she was reacting to the news. He knew she would be Darcy’s most passionate protector if she thought the situation warranted it, and he couldn’t deny this one just might. 

“I can’t believe it. You’re Darcy’s father?” Jane said incredulously, adding confused, “How did everyone find out?”

“I’ve got legal working on it. But Good Morning America broke the story,” Tony answered, annoyed. 

“Good Morning America?” Darcy and Jane said simultaneously, in disbelief. 

“Pepper had the same reaction,” Tony said humorlessly. “I’m guessing someone shopped the information around and ABC paid the most. Chances are this is just the beginning. They’re using the morning show to drum up interest and will run a ‘news’ story later tonight,” he said frustrated. 

Both women stood staring at him aghast, unsure how to respond. Exasperated, Darcy shook her head and said, “Ok, you two, before this goes any further, we’re eating breakfast. Jane eat this,” handing her a sandwich. Moving to the coffeemaker, Darcy said, “They must have just aired the story because TV vans were just pulling up when I got back from the diner.”

“We weren’t watching for something like this so Jarvis didn’t have a chance to catch it. Social media was just beginning to blow up when he notified me that security was trying to pull you out,” Tony explained.

“It was insane. And so loud,” Darcy complained.

“Yeah. That can’t happen again. We’re going to need to make some changes,” Tony said, reluctantly. He had a feeling what he was about to say would not be well received. Darcy was too free a spirit to appreciate having restrictions put on her movements, no matter how warranted they might be. 

“What kind of changes?” Darcy asked unconcerned, as she went about making coffee. 

Tony replied, “Security for starters.”

“Security? Why do we need - ? – Oh,” Darcy said, stumbling to a stop, only to protest, “But they’ll be gone in a day or two. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal.” 

“Darcy, you’re going to need security for the foreseeable future. You won’t make it 10 feet without some guy asking questions or taking pictures,” Tony argued, not surprised she wasn’t accepting what was to him very obvious. Their life experiences were so different; he was bringing a perspective to the conversation she couldn’t yet grasp. 

“It won’t be that bad,” she scuffed, unwilling to hear what Tony was trying to tell her. 

Tony sighed, not wanting to debate the issue and said, “We’ll talk about the details later. But in the meantime, can I ask that neither of you leave the tower? At least, not without security? If you need to leave, talk to Happy first.”

“Yeah, ok,” Darcy grumbled. 

“I guess, but why do I need security?” Jane questioned, confused.

“You had your picture taken with us last week. They might not know who you are right now, but they will soon.”

“Oh,” Jane answered softly, taken back at the idea.

As Darcy pulled out coffee cups, Tony cleared his throat and said apologetically, “We might have to talk to PR later.”

Turning to him with a confused frown Darcy asked, “Why?”

“We need to discuss how you want to handle everything now that it’s public,” Tony said carefully, not wanting to influence her too much as the decision would affect her future for a long time to come.

“What needs to be handled?” Darcy asked, starting to feel anxious. 

“PR will hold a press conference later this afternoon. We need to tell them what you want to say. We could deny it if you want. I can’t say it would be believable, but PR could take a crack at it,” Tony suggested with a slight grimace. “Or, we issue a statement acknowledging that you’re my daughter. But either way, PR will handle it.” 

“Oh,” Darcy said flatly. She hadn’t had a chance to consider what else needed to happen now that she and Tony had come to an understanding. It was disconcerting to know that everyone else in the world apparently needed to know about it as well.

“Yeah,” Tony said with a sympathetic smile. Clearing his throat he added uncomfortably, “You should know they’re putting a spin on it that’s – well-. Not too flattering for either of us.” He really didn’t want to tell her but knew that it was best to face it head-on. It would only be worse if Darcy was caught by surprise.

“What do you mean?” she asked concerned, as issues began to mount. 

“They’re speculating I’ve known about you all along and didn’t want to take you in after your parents died,” Tony explained and hastened to add when he saw her growing look of horror, “We think they have your SHIELD file. So everything SHIELD knew – they know. They’re also speculating that you came to me once you found out. That you’re after money,” Tony said with a wince, knowing that would not go over well. He knew she hadn’t even considered that aspect of their newly defined relationship. Darcy also had a different relationship with money than Tony, which he only vaguely understood, but admired her independent stance nonetheless. 

“I would never,” Darcy denied aghast. She was horrified anyone would think she would be after his money. It hadn’t even occurred to her. 

“I know that. You barely let me buy lunch for Christ’s sake. I had to twist your arm to let Jarvis buy you that couch,” Tony said, gesturing to the furniture in the corner. “Although, that’s another conversation we’re going to need to have,” he said, immediately regretting it, realizing he had misstepped. It wasn’t time to discuss money, even if that was exactly what he had been thinking at the time. 

“What conversation?” Darcy asked defensively, still sensitive at the accusation she was after his money. 

“A conversation about what it will mean for you to be my daughter,” Tony said, trying to salvage the discussion, focusing instead on the broader ramifications of their new relationship.

“What does it mean?” Darcy asked, in surprised confusion, not sure what to make of the unexpected shift in conversation. 

“It means things are going to get a lot more complicated. I don’t want to scare you but your life is about to change in ways you can’t even imagine,” Tony said, hating it as he did, knowing he was about to pop the comparably carefree bubble she lived in.

“It can’t be that big a deal,” she protested, unwilling or unable to see the bigger picture.

“Darcy, you got ambushed getting breakfast. That’s not going to go away anytime soon,” Tony argued. While this needed to be said, for her to begin to understand what was about to happen, it was not easy. Tony knew none of this had occurred to her yet and he hated to be the one to make her see it. 

Darcy looked away and silently took a sip of her coffee. Shifting in her chair uneasily she picked at her sandwich and avoided looking at him. She was struggling with what she was hearing. In theory, she knew enough about how celebrity worked to understand what Tony was saying. She just couldn’t rectify the concept with her life. It was all too new. To suddenly be told her future would inevitably be part of that culture was confusing and alarming. But she was aware of what Tony wasn’t specifically saying. Now that she had been identified as his daughter, the media would always be there. 

After a moment of silence, Tony offered apologetically, “I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. You’re not ready to hear this. And I’m sorry I wasn’t able to tell you first. It would have given you a chance to adjust. This is the last way I wanted you to find out.” When Darcy remained silent he added earnestly, “I’ll do anything I can to make this easier for you. Anything you need.”

“It just keeps getting bigger the more we talk about it,” Darcy observed quietly. “I’m still back on you’re my dad. I’m good with that. I think that will be ok. It’s just there’s all this other stuff that I’m having trouble with.” She was unnerved as the larger implications of being Tony’s daughter were starting to become clear and she had a feeling this was only the beginning. 

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. But it won’t always be like this. It’s just sudden,” Tony said, trying to comfort her. He considered her and when Darcy continued to look troubled, he added, “You need to know that – well -. I’m glad we had this time, short as it was, for just us.”

They sat quietly for a moment, Tony staring at her as Darcy looked thoughtfully down at her sandwich with a small pleased smile teasing the edges of her face. She obviously needed his reassurance. Glancing up at him shyly, she said, “I’m glad too.” Tony gave her a soft nod of acceptance. Neither spoke, not ready to move on, instead content to just let the understanding that was growing between them settle. 

The moment was broken as Jane shifted in her chair and quietly cleared her throat, asking, “So how is Darcy’s life going to change? I mean she’s still working on her degree and she works for me and she lives here. What else is there?”

Tony looked at Jane, at a loss as to how to answer. He couldn’t believe she was even asking such a question. ”Jane,” he said slowly and paused, editing himself quickly he said, “Darcy’s world just got a lot bigger.” Purposefully adding, “Nothing changes here. She’ll still have work and school. She’ll still have you and me,” he said, glancing over at Darcy with a small smile. “But outside of the tower?” he questioned, gesturing broadly, “We can try to manage it, but for the foreseeable future everyone is going to want to know everything there is to know about Darcy Lewis,” he explained, regretfully. Sitting back he crossed his arms and said with a dismissive shrug, “Now me? I grew up with this kind of thing. I pretty much know what I’m getting into the second I walk out the door, but it’s not easy.” Tony wouldn’t wish his experiences with the press on anybody but he also knew to some extent he left himself open to their scrutiny. While he thought Darcy had the personality needed to engage the media the way he did he doubted she would provide them with the same amount of fodder.

“It can’t be that bad,” Jane said, half pleading.

“It’s going to be a new way to live. For all of us. But, we’ll get through it,” Tony said, trying to be encouraging. 

Looking away from her and over at Darcy, he didn’t like how withdrawn she looked. Tony really hadn’t wanted to get into how complicated her life would become but then again, it had to be said sooner rather than later. Sighing he tried to wrap things up, “For now, PR will handle the press conference; we’ll do whatever you want. And security will be there when you need them. Legal can help, too.”

“What happens at the press conference?” Darcy asked flatly. 

“We can confirm you’re my daughter and not take questions and ask for privacy. Or, PR could try to change the narrative and put a better spin on things,” he answered, listing some of the options. He added as an afterthought, “And later, if you want, they could set up an interview for you to get your story out. Or, if you want, we deny all of it. And you try to ignore everything.” He paused and then with a grimace warned her, “But you need to know, no matter what you decide, it won’t end there. You’re going to be in the news for a long time to come. This is too big a story to die any time soon.”

Darcy considered him for a moment and asked, “What if I don’t want to deny it?”

“You mean if you want PR to confirm you’re my daughter?”

“Yeah,” she answered carefully. 

“Then I open a bottle of champagne, hand out cigars and send out birth announcements,” Tony said, with a delighted grin. 

Darcy snorted, amused and beginning to relax again, said, “Idiot. Do I have to go talk to anyone?”

“Probably not. I’ll talk to Pepper. She usually handles PR and they’ll take it from there.”

“Do I need to be at the press conference?” Darcy asked, with trepidation.

“No. Neither do I thank god. For now, it’s best if we just lie low,” Tony clarified. 

Relieved, Darcy said, “Ok.” 

“Ok?”

“Yeah, do whatever you think is best,” she said, gesturing toward him. “You’re right. I have no idea how to handle any of this. I don’t know what to think. You’re my father? And the whole world knows? I mean, you? You’re one thing. You’re Tony. That’s fine. That’s good actually,” Darcy said, sending a warm thoughtful smile in his direction. She found she really was oddly at peace with the news that Tony was her father. Surprising as it was, there was a layer certainty and comfort settling over her, even if the whole world knowing was a bit disconcerting. However, she had some reservations. She added with a concerned tone, “But, you’re Tony Stark. You’re Iron Man. That means a lot more than you just being Tony.” 

Tony chuckled, wryly acknowledging, “Yeah, the whole Tony Stark thing really is a pain in the ass sometimes.” While he was happy to hear how readily Darcy acknowledged he was her father, he wasn’t sure what to make of her obvious hesitation. Although he had to admit he did have a lot of baggage attached to his name. 

“No, it’s ok,” Darcy hurried to protest, explaining, “This is just a lot. I mean, the whole world knows. Which is crazy. I just found out. I think I need a minute to wrap my head around it.” 

“Understandable. Take some time. I’ll be here if you want to talk,” Tony offered, reassured that she seemed willing to at least begin to come to terms with the changes about to take place in her life.

“Ok,” Darcy said somewhat relieved, adding with a short exasperated laugh, “I don’t think I can deal with any more of this right now. It’s not even 10 o’clock.” Glancing over at the whiteboard they had been working on she got up saying, “Jane, don’t we need to start programming now that these calculations are done?”

“Oh, yeah. But you don’t have to if-” Jane protested.

“No, I think this is exactly what I need to do right now,” Darcy said, picking up a marker and walking over to the whiteboard.

“Alright, if you’re sure,” Jane said hesitantly.

Tony watched her, knowing it was probably for the best that Darcy move on and do something constructive. She had dealt with enough already that morning. He was mildly disappointed but couldn’t put his finger on why. “I’ll leave you to it then,” Tony said, walking toward the door.

“Hey Tony,” Darcy called, turning to look at him, not quite ready to let him go. She graced him with a shy smile, as she was grateful for the time he took with her and said softly, “You’ve been really great - about all of this. Thank you.” 

Warmed, Tony beamed and said with an understanding nod, “Of course. You’re my kid.” Turning to leave, he swung back around at the door saying, “I’ll let you know what Pepper says about PR, she might want to talk to you. We’ll see.”

As he walked out of the lab, the last thing he heard was, “See you at lunch!”


	9. Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist, Dad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The initial fallout from Tony's perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to thestancyg for the beta read!

Very rarely did Tony make an appearance in legal. If he needed something they usually came to him, or more likely, sent Pepper. But desperate times and burning rage called for desperate measures. Strolling in, he smiled tightly at the receptionist and made a beeline for Hanson’s office. He hoped by now the man had something.

“Hanson, do we know who’s responsible for this yet?” he growled, as he let himself in. Two other attorneys present glanced at Hanson, gave Tony a quick nod and left the room. 

“Tony, please sit down.”

Mike Hanson had been representing Stark Industries for the better part of 40 years and was one of the few attorneys who survived the Obie fiasco. As head of Stark Industries Legal, the man had seen every aspect of Tony’s professional and personal life. There was virtually nothing the man did not know. 

“What have you found?” Tony demanded.

“As expected, ABC refuses to divulge their source,” Hanson stated. “However, the paternity test Good Morning America used as evidence in this morning’s report is virtually identical to the one you have in your possession. It was fairly obvious that the SHIELD logo was edited out,” he reported. “We can’t be certain that they have Ms. Lewis’ SHIELD file, however, the information they have referenced thus far indicates significant knowledge of her past,” he explained. Adding, “We are working on the assumption they have had access to the file or are in possession of it. We have reason to believe they will be doing a follow-up report later tonight on 20/20.” Shifting some papers forward for Tony to look at, he said, “In the meantime, we have begun the process of requesting a temporary restraining order. However, it is unlikely it will be granted as this is a First Amendment issue. They have the right to run the story. Now, if it becomes libelous or if slander occurs, we may have grounds to sue, but only after the fact.”

“So, we have nothing,” Tony said, ignoring the paperwork. 

“At this point in the investigation we are at a standstill. We have contacted SHIELD. Their legal department issued a blanket denial. That was to be expected. They are unlikely to admit to a breach in their security,” Hanson said.

“So we have nothing,” Tony said flatly.

Hanson sighed, despondently, “It’s early yet-"

“Yeah. SHIELD is going to jerk us around and-"

“Mr. Hanson, sir?” the receptionist suddenly said over the speakerphone. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have Director Fury of SHIELD on the line. I thought you’d want to take the call.”

“Yes, put him through,” Hanson said brusquely.

“Mr. Hanson? Nick Fury.”

“Director, I’m sitting here with Tony Stark,” Hanson said, acknowledging the man.

“I see. Stark, I’m calling to let you know we’re handling things on our end,” Fury stated.

“Oh really Nick,” Tony said sarcastically, “Does handling things mean sharing secret government files with national news organizations? Hell, it was a morning show, it wasn’t even news. Just how are you handling it?”

“Currently, we’re talking to every agent who had access to Ms. Lewis’ file. Most of Coulson’s work related to her was hardcopy only,” the director explained. “Whoever leaked the story had to have access to his notes and hardcopy documents. Unfortunately, his work was divided up among a number of agents.”

“So you’re saying you don’t know who walked off with classified documents and that it could be anyone who had access to your file room?!” Tony snarled. 

“Stark, I’m calling to assure you we are taking this matter seriously,” Fury said defensively. After silence stretched for a moment, he offered, “Tony, I’m sorry. We’ll do everything we can.”

“And, if you do find the bastard that did this?” Tony asked angrily wanting to be sure whoever was responsible would be held accountable for their actions.

“The unauthorized disclosure of classified information is a federal offense. It’s a matter of national security. Something we take very seriously. The maximum sentence is five years,” the director explained matter-of-factly. 

“Maximum?” Tony repeated, clearly questioning if that would be applied in this case. “Jesus. You better catch whoever did this Fury. It’s her life they’re messing with. You know that.”

“We’ll do everything we can Stark,” the man assured him. 

“Director Fury, thank you for contacting us,” Hanson interjected, trying to smooth things over. “If there is anything we can do to assist in this matter you need only ask.”

“Thank you, Mr. Hanson, I’ll be in touch,” Fury acknowledged. 

“Good day, Director.”

“Well, that was worthless,” Tony complained once the call was disconnected, slouching back further in his chair.

“On the contrary,” Hanson disagreed, “I believe it was an act of good faith on the Director’s part. He seems to be taking the matter seriously. We can’t know for certain what he will do if and when he locates the responsible party, but I’m reassured he will be transparent in his actions.”

“Yeah,” Tony grumbled. After fuming for a moment he asked, “So do we know anyone at ABC who might play ball?”

“All of our contacts have been reluctant to assist us in this matter,” Hanson explained regretfully. “There are times when a story is just too big for any one person to influence it. Unfortunately, this is one of those stories.” 

“Great,” Tony commented, dejectedly. 

“We will follow through on our request for a restraining order and of course, watch for any slander that may occur. We will know more later this afternoon.”

“Yeah, ok,” Tony acknowledged, not liking what he had heard thus far but accepting it was the best they had at the moment. 

“While you’re here, would you care to discuss Ms. Lewis’ trust?” Hanson inquired, reaching for a notepad. 

“Yeah, when do we have to act on that?” Tony responded, sitting forward.

“The trust uses the broadest terms possible. Your child may assume it at any time after reaching the age of 21. We simply need to designate parties,” Hanson explained.

“Yeah, let’s sit on that for now. Darcy isn’t ready to have that conversation,” Tony answered thoughtfully. He doubted there would ever be a good time to tell Darcy about her trust, but thought she had had enough shocking news for one day. The trust could wait for now. 

“Do you plan to let your will stand or would you like us to begin the process of revising it? The New Arrival Plan does have some provisions within it we can initiate now if you’d like,” Hanson said. 

“Oh, yeah. Let’s get that updated asap. Get me a rough draft and I’ll have to get back to you,” Tony said, with a contemplative frown. While he had given some thought to the changes that would occur when he revealed he was Darcy’s father, he hadn’t given the finer details consideration. His will had innumerable bequeaths and implementing the New Arrival Plan would take time. 

“Of course,” Hanson said with a nod, making a note. “We should be able to provide you with some preliminary changes this afternoon. When you’re ready to move forward we will be here.”

 

Once Tony had settled things with legal he swung by Pepper’s office to discuss the afternoon’s press conference. He grinned at her brightly as he threw himself into a chair across from her desk, saying with a pleased air, “I’m a dad.”

“Yes, you are,” Pepper responded with an indulgent smile. “I take it things went well with Darcy?”

“Yeah, things are good. She was a little hesitant but she gave the green light for PR to confirm,” Tony said with a nod. 

“Good. I’m glad,” Pepper said, pulling a piece of paper forward to jot down a note, adding, “With the paternity test already out there, they would have had difficulty denying it.”

“Yeah,” Tony agreed. “I would have liked to have given her more time, but she’s coming around,” Tony said unworried. 

“Good. Now, how are you doing?” Pepper asked, relaxing back in her chair and looking at him expectantly.

Tony laughed bitterly and said, “Besides wanting to take a flamethrower to SHIELD? And crucifying whoever did this? I was ready to suit up when I heard the press had her trapped in the plaza. God Pepper, you should have seen her. Scared the hell out of me.”

“But she’s ok?”

“She’s fine. Shook it off pretty quickly,” Tony said glibly, adding with a smug grin, “She’s a Stark.” Darcy had had a baptism by fire with the press and had come through it remarkably well. He had been bracing himself for tears at the very least when he found her. Instead, she had shaken off her initial shock and taken the rest of the morning’s news with aplomb. 

Pepper smiled tolerantly, “Yes, she is. You’re pretty proud of that aren’t you?”

“You know what? I am.” Tony beamed with satisfaction. He hadn’t expected to feel elated now that the truth was out but a feeling of excitement and certainty had taken hold of him. As he had gotten to know Darcy the idea that he could be a father had grown on him and it felt good now that it was here. 

“Any idea who in SHIELD released in the information?” Pepper asked.

“No. At least, not yet. Fury called while I was in legal and gave some song and dance about how they’re doing everything they can. But I’m not holding my breath,” Tony said dismissively.

“Here’s something to consider,” Pepper said nonchalantly, slowly sitting forward. “Now might be a good time to remind the director of just how much Stark Industries contributes to SHIELD. We’ve been charging them at cost for nearly everything we supply. We lose millions alone in just the armor we sell them and that’s our lowest profit margin to begin with. Factor in the other materials we provide; if we charged market prices it could easily put their expenses hundreds of millions over what they are paying now.” She added with a vicious smile, “Currently SHIELD has a number of contracts under negotiation. Now would the perfect time to let them know our goodwill isn’t without cost.”

Tony grinned evilly as he affectionately said, “I love you. Have I told you how glad I am that I made you CEO? You’re right, Fury needs a reminder. I almost said something when Darcy got arrested but he eventually stepped up so it wasn’t the time.” 

“Well, it’s time. Stark Industries has supported SHIELD since its inception but we don’t have to continue to be as generous as we have been in the past,” Pepper said definitively, cautiously adding, “It’s just not a threat to use lightly. Use it too many times it loses its impact. But a reminder could go a long way.”

“If I don’t hear from him soon, you and Hanson’s guys can take a crack at him,” Tony said with relish, liking the idea of sticking it to SHIELD and by extension Fury.

“I’ll put a call into legal later and find out exactly where we are with SHIELD’s contracts and let them know we might be changing our strategy,” Pepper said, writing a note.

“I like it,” Tony cackled.

Pepper nodded in agreement, clearly ready to take action against SHIELD if necessary. Returning to the notes on her desk she asked, “Is there anything you or Darcy specifically want PR to include in the statement they release?”

“I think we just confirm Darcy’s my daughter. We don’t need to give them a timeline. Maybe throw in it’s a private family matter. Not that it will do any good,” Tony said with an indifferent shrug. He didn’t expect much from the press conference and was tempted to make an appearance, to try to reclaim the story but knew it wasn’t the time as he would only be adding fuel to a fire that was barely under control as it was. 

“I think that’s best,” Pepper agreed, adding thoughtfully, “I wish we knew what they have on Darcy so we could try to counteract it now.”  


“According to Coulson’s file, there shouldn’t be any surprises. Darcy’s been in college since she was 14. She hasn’t had time to find the kind of trouble I did when I was her age. She’s either been studying or working and for the past year, she’s been in New Mexico with Foster. Nothing exciting,” Tony responded, unconcerned.

“Nothing exciting is good. The less the media has to work with the better,” Pepper said comforted with the knowledge that there weren’t any potential scandals hidden away to be exploited later.

“Of course, they got pictures of her this morning. So they have something fresh to work with. Not that it’s going to end there,” Tony observed, knowing it was only the beginning as the demand for pictures of Darcy would surely intensify. 

“No, it won’t. This is going to be with us for a long time,” Pepper agreed, pessimistically. 

“I tried to talk to Darcy about what she could expect but it’s too soon. She wasn’t ready to hear it. She couldn’t believe she needs security,” Tony said dismayed, knowing there were arguments in his future when they tried to implement Darcy’s security. He worried she wasn’t going to understand just how necessary it was until something unfortunate happened. He just hoped if it did it wouldn’t be too traumatic.  


“She definitely needs security,” Pepper said emphatically. “We need to talk to Happy about putting some protocols in place as soon as possible. Do you want one of my pendants or do you have something on hand?”

“I’ve got a few trackers. I can put something together for her until she picks out a piece or two that she likes,” Tony assured her, adding, “I didn’t go into detail about security. I didn’t want to scare her.” 

“Security is going to be an adjustment but it’s necessary,” Pepper said adamantly.

“Yeah, it’s going to be an argument, one I intend to win,” Tony said adding with a rueful laugh, “God, I sound like a dad.”

Pepper grinned at him tickled and said, “Welcome to parenthood?”

“Ha. If this is as bad as it gets I think I’ll be ok,” Tony said with a thoughtful nod. He sat quietly for a moment before saying with a dismayed chuckle, “I still can’t believe it.”

“I think it’s wonderful. I have no doubt you’ll do great,” Pepper said confidently. 

“Well, I can’t do worse than my old man,” Tony said bitterly, adding, “I’ve already spent more time with her than he ever did with me.’’ He paused and then said thoughtfully, “I keep thinking about Jarvis Sr.; no matter how crazy I made him, I knew I could always count on him. I hope I can have that with Darcy.”

“You will, you’ve laid a good foundation,” Pepper assured him.

“I hope,” Tony agreed. “You know, I really want to do something to celebrate. I doubt she’d be up for a party right now but maybe later?” Tony wondered aloud. Adding thoughtfully, “Audi has a new coup out. She would love the engine. Maybe Darcy would like that?”

Pepper leaned forward and said carefully, “I know you mean well, but overwhelming her with presents might not be the way to go right now. Let the news sink in.”

“Yeah, still though, I want to do something,” Tony groused. 

“I think we start by inviting her to dinner. I would love to spend some time with her and get to know her,” Pepper suggested.

“Dinner? Yeah, we could do that. I’ll run it by her at lunch,” Tony said agreeably.

“Just be patient and resist the impulse to buy her anything – at least for the next few days,” Pepper advised humorously. 

“Yeah, ok. I’ll see you later? You’ll talk to PR?” Tony asked as he headed toward the door.

“I’ll talk to PR. Don’t worry about it. We’ll talk later tonight.”

 

Tony headed up to his workshop, planning to put a simple tracker together for Darcy. He had a few pieces set aside for Pepper he thought he could use. All in all, he considered the morning a success. As a rule, he avoided emotional conversations but it had been gratifying to claim Darcy. The past weeks had been a revelation getting to know her as he thought he could see parts of himself in her. Her quick wit and curious mind, her joy in creating were attributes he hoped he had contributed. 

Since his return from Afghanistan, Tony had been trying to rebuild the Stark legacy and was hoping to add Darcy to it. He wanted the Stark name to stand for something more than weapons and war and he was making inroads as Stark Industries changed its focus to clean energy and high-end technology. He hadn’t considered leaving anything behind besides the company and his philanthropic endeavors. Now he hoped Darcy would want to contribute to the new legacy, pick up the mantle and carry it forward. 

Part of being a Stark was the media attention that came with the name. The press had always loved the Starks. Between the money and the bigger than life personalities that Tony and his father each had it was understandable people were intrigued. Tony had always lived his life in the public eye and chances were Darcy would need to learn how to do so as well. He hoped that with Darcy’s personality she would be able to play with the press much as he did. She was vivacious in a way he knew people would love. Given half a chance she could easily become a media darling. He expected the paparazzi and even serious journalists to initially be unrelenting in their drive to get the scoop on Darcy Lewis. But he thought with time the furor would die down and the media would recede to the periphery of Darcy’s day to day life. 

The notoriety of being a Stark played into Tony’s larger than life reputation and it was understandable Darcy was hesitant to embrace him fully. The public personas of ‘Tony Stark’ and Iron Man were renowned elements of who he was and parts Darcy hadn’t had much exposure to. He hadn’t intentionally hid any particular side of himself but he also hadn’t been as gregarious as he often was. He had relaxed in the labs and his more serious side prevailed when he was with Darcy. And, for as much as they shared a similar sense of humor, he found they also shared a passion for creating. They had bonded over fixing Jane’s equipment and teasing her about her endless supply of duct tape. To Darcy, he was simply Tony, and it was refreshing that she wasn’t invested in the persona that had been built up around ‘Tony Stark’. And maybe that was for the best. In time she would learn his public personas were just an extension of him. 

Tony’s largest concern for Darcy was the long-term consequences of the world knowing he had a daughter. It was understandable that she didn’t yet grasp how her world had changed; it had only been a few hours. Even he was still struggling with it. But the ramifications were far-reaching and would pervade every aspect of her life. Now that she had been identified as a Stark she would never escape it.


	10. Intern, Grad Student, Engineer, Daughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy comes to terms with the surprising news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to thestancyg for the beta reading! 
> 
> Good news - I've written the ending and have another completed chapter ready to post. 
> 
> Bad news - summer school started and I'm already swamped. I'm about halfway done with the story but writing will slow down as school work takes precedence for the next 6 weeks. Updates will hopefully be weekly instead of biweekly. 
> 
> And thank you for reading! I cannot believe the positive response this story has received. Thank you so much for your comments and kudos!

“How are you doing?” Jane asked carefully, glancing up from the device she was programming.

“I’m fine,” Darcy said dismissively, erasing part of an equation on the whiteboard.

“Darcy,” Jane reprimanded, concerned, trying to goad her into conversation.

“I’m fine,” Darcy insisted.

“You don’t have to be,” Jane assured her, adding, “You cannot be fine if you need to not be fine.”

“Yeah, I know. But, I’m ok right now. I’m working,” Darcy said gesturing to the whiteboard. She really didn’t have a lot to say. It was as if something had shut off in her brain, and she was separated from her thoughts for the moment. 

“Well, you can work and talk at the same time,” Jane pointed out.

“Yeah, I guess,” Darcy agreed distractedly. After a moment she glanced back at Jane and commented on the one thing she did have clear thoughts around, saying, “The plaza this morning was insane.”

“Yeah, what about it?” Jane asked vaguely. 

“Just all the cameras and everything. It was just so bizarre. I was getting breakfast and then all of a sudden there were all these cameras and people yelling at me,” Darcy reflected, absently looking at the whiteboard. 

“That sounds horrible,” Jane commented, adding cautiously, “Tony made it sound like it might be that way for a while. That’s why he wants you to have security.”

“Yeah, but it can’t be like that forever. They have to leave sometime,” Darcy contended. 

“How are you with everything else?” Jane asked hesitantly.

“You mean, the Tony being my dad part?” Darcy questioned with a slightly hysterical laugh. She was beginning to think that maybe she actually was in shock as she couldn’t seem to put how she was feeling into words. 

“Yeah, the Tony being your dad part is kinda big,” Jane observed. 

“It’s not real yet,” Darcy said evenly. “I don’t know what I think. I’m excited? I mean, he’s Tony. We have lunch with him. He taught me a new technique for my laser welding project. I’d have never been able to work with titanium if it weren’t for him.” She paused for a moment frowning down at the marker in her hand and said quietly, “I just don’t know what any of this means, you know?” 

“Means?” Jane asked unsure, looking up from her project.

“Well, what does he want?” Darcy clarified. She really was at a loss as to how to put the entire morning in perspective. On one hand, she was amazed and delighted to know Tony was her father. On the other hand, she was unsure what it meant for their friendship as he was suddenly taking on a new role in her life. 

“It sounded to me like he wanted a relationship,” Jane said, glancing at Darcy with concern. “He sounded pretty sure about you being his daughter. He wouldn’t have said the things he did if he didn’t want you.”

“I guess,” Darcy said slowly, asking reluctantly as doubts were beginning to gnaw at her, “But why?” 

“Darcy,” Jane began, exasperated, “Why wouldn’t he want you? You’re great! And you know, maybe he needs you. He doesn’t have any kids. He’s not married. Maybe he’d like a family.”

“Well, he has Pepper. They could be planning a family,” Darcy argued.

“True, but she’s the CEO of one of the largest tech companies in the world. I don’t know her, but I think they’ve been together a while and I don’t see her suddenly having children,” Jane observed.

“Yeah. Still though, he’s never had kids before, how does he know he wants me?” Darcy questioned, uncertain as to why Tony was so enthusiastic to claim her as his daughter. 

“What’s to know? You’re smart, you’re funny. You tased a god and a SHIELD agent. You’re a badass. You’re finishing your masters in both electrical and mechanical engineering and for some unknown reason, you actually love political science. What more does he need to know?” Jane said enthusiastically. 

“Hey, political science gives me a perspective on what is going on in the world. There is more to life than hard science,” Darcy said wryly, turning to look at Jane with an appreciative smile, grateful for her attempt at bolstering her ego. 

“Ha. It’s all true though,” Jane mildly protested.

“Ok, but what happens now?” Darcy questioned apprehensively as she stepped back from the whiteboard. 

“Like Tony said, everything here stays the same. You still want to work here and finish your masters, right?” Jane asked.

“Well, yeah. I guess the real question is what changes? From what it sounds like I’m never going to be able to go outside again,” Darcy said disgruntled, clearly unhappy with that development. She was just begun to discover the area around the tower and had been looking forward to exploring the city. The idea that she wouldn’t be able to do so was disappointing and frustrating. She could already feel herself rebelling against the idea that she would need to curtail her activities. 

“It won’t be that bad. At least, after a while, it won’t. Right now it might be,” Jane conceded.

“Tony made it sound like I won’t be able to go anywhere again without someone asking me questions or taking my picture. Jane, I don’t take good pictures. I don’t have the right kind of clothes for pictures,” Darcy complained, focusing on the minutia of the problem before her. The real issue was that it scared her to think the morning’s events could repeat itself. She had never felt so out of control and to know that there would be people just waiting for her at any time was daunting. 

“Your clothes are fine,” Jane insisted with a huff.

“I don’t think my 3-year-old, ripped, 20 dollar jeans from Old Navy and my ratty sweater are going to cut it anymore,” Darcy protested. “You know how gossip sites tear people down for what they wear. I think that’s one of the things Tony was getting at when he said that I wasn’t ready,” Darcy explained flatly, well aware that the media would tear her apart for the way she dressed. She doubted her fashion standards would withstand the media’s scrutiny. If it was functional, comfortable and brightly colored she was happy. 

“Do you really think it will be that bad?” Jane questioned, skeptically.

“I don’t know, maybe not. But Tony made it sound like it might,” Darcy answered worriedly, perplexed by the idea that people would care that much about her. 

“Yeah, but he was talking about security,” Jane objected. 

“I think you and I both know it will be more than that,” Darcy answered wryly. “Think about what you know about Tony Stark. Before you actually got to know him. He was always in the news. He still is. He’s always on the best-dressed list and the top ten richest list and god knows what other kind of list. He’s been front page news for as long as I’ve known who he was – which is my entire life. Jane, I can’t begin to imagine that kind of constant attention. And yet, around here he’s just Tony. None of that even occurs to me.”

“Well, that’s good because I think that’s the real Tony. All the rest is just – window dressing. I think. I mean some of it is really him, it has to be. But I think what we know of him is real and that’s the important part,” Jane said determinedly. 

“Oh, I know,” Darcy agreed. “What I’m saying is when he says my world has just gotten a lot bigger, and I’m not ready for it, he has enough experience to know what he’s talking about. Like he said, he’s dealt with this all his life. I haven’t. Things are going to change, there’s no way around it.” As much as it unnerved her to think about the expectations the press and the general public probably had, it was comforting to know Tony had experience in dealing with it and seemed to be ready to guide her through it. 

“Well, like what?” Jane asked, curious.

“Well, like I said, I don’t dress right for one. Half the time I’m a mess from work,” Darcy said concerned, thinking about how her wardrobe was mostly made up of worn jeans, nubby sweaters, and old t-shirts.

“Have you seen Tony?” Jane asked, indignantly. “I’ve only seen him completely clean a handful of times. He’s either covered in grime or he’s in a designer suit. I don’t think you need to worry about being a mess.”

“But, what about the other part?” Darcy asked pensively.

“What other part?” Jane asked confused.

“The designer suit part,” Darcy explained. “The last time I bought something new was those gauchos in Albuquerque. And I don’t think they’re remotely designer.”

“Tony doesn’t care what you wear. He cares about you,” Jane said emphatically. “He has lunch with us nearly every day. He wouldn’t do that if he didn’t care enough to want to get to know you. Think about it – the man is literally a billionaire. He could go to lunch with anyone in the world and he’s been coming to our lab. That means something.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Darcy unwillingly conceded. She knew Jane had a point. Tony had never once indicated that he thought she needed to change anything about herself. He had been nothing but supportive. Still though, she was apprehensive about the future he alluded to earlier in the morning and wondered what his expectations were as well.

 

Turning back to the whiteboard, Darcy began to transcribe her calculations into a tablet. They worked quietly for a while before she said, “You know, I’ve been on my own for a long time, what am I going to do with a father?”

“I don’t know. What does anyone do with a father?” Jane answered with a shrug.

“It’s just, I’m an adult. It’s not like I need him to pick me up after school or go to a science fair,” Darcy explained.

“Darcy, you know there is more to having a father than that. Fathers are just sort of there. My dad and I didn’t do anything particular together but we talked – about his teaching, his latest findings, what I was studying. He gave me my first telescope. When I was a kid he’d take me out to the country at night to see the stars. What mattered was that he was there. That’s really all it is.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Darcy said vaguely. After a moment she offered, “My dad used to watch the news while I did my homework at the dining room table. Just before I had to set the table for dinner he’d ask what I was studying. Even when he had no idea what I was talking about he always said good job, keep it up, like it was really important to him that I do well. We didn’t really talk but he was always there.”

“Exactly. He was there. And that’s what Tony can do. He can be there. You’ve already bonded over taking apart all of my equipment. There’s no duct tape holding anything together anymore because the two of you decided to fix everything, whether it needed it or not.”

“Jane, it needed it. The duct tape was embarrassing,” Darcy said with a fond smile as she turned to look at her, entertained by her denial.

“You get my point,” Jane said in mock exasperation, adding, “Just let Tony be there. That’s really all you need to do to be his daughter.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Darcy quietly agreed, hoping Jane was right.

 

Later, as Darcy wiped down the whiteboard she thought about the morning's startling news. She remembered a time when she desperately wanted parents. She never held out hope she would be adopted again, she was far too old. But after her parents died, she dreamt about her ‘birth parents’ coming to whisk her away. Not that she ever thought it would happen. But when she was moving to her next foster family, when the rooms got too crowded with other kids, when she had spent too much time alone, she would wish. To find out that Tony was her father was a wish made real. Twelve-year-old her would be beside herself with happiness.

And she was happy. There was a part of her filled with a sort of confused excitement. To have Tony declaring he was her father was unsettling in the best ways. He actually used the term dad. Dad meant something. It meant belonging. It meant safety. To an orphan, it meant more than he probably knew. She had a warm, secure feeling associated with him, which overlapped the comfortable friendship they were building. Tony had taken on a playful, mentor-like role in her life already, finding out he was her father made the emotions she already had for him all the more meaningful.

But Darcy was also slightly unnerved to think that the man who had quickly become a fixture in her life could take on such a powerful role. She had some negative connotations associated with fathers as well. None of her foster fathers had embraced her; instead, they had either taken on an authoritarian role or ignored her altogether. Most had been intimidated by how intelligent she was and her smart mouth and attitude hadn’t helped. While she doubted Tony would fall into either parental trap, it still troubled her that he might demand something she couldn’t give or reject her for something she already was. Not that she had any idea what they could be. It was just a lurking fear, filling her with a shadow of a doubt. 

As wary as she was Darcy was inclined to trust him and it scared her. No one had ever had the chance to break her in the way Tony now could. And yet, she already felt herself letting go of her reservations and lending him more consideration than she had just the day before. There were expectations growing from that. Expectations tied to feelings and hopes. She hoped it was possible to take what they had and build something lasting from it. She hadn’t had a parent in 10 years and it was appealing to think she could have that again.  


The only stumbling block she could see to their newly defined relationship was that Tony was made up of a much larger package than the one she already knew. He was Tony Stark. He was Iron Man. He was a billionaire. Her political science background made her keenly aware he was one of the few men in the world that could impact people globally just by making a decision. His money alone made his an almost unstoppable force. He had just fought aliens and saved New York, if not the world. Iron Man was more than just a bright shiny fixture in the sky. He represented peace only because the man in the suit did what was needed to be done to ensure it. She wasn’t naïve enough to think his other personas wouldn’t impact her or their relationship.

Darcy was cautious of the aspects of Tony that she didn’t know well. The Tony she knew was thoughtful and funny and smart and took the time to explain things and teach her. She had a hard time rectifying her Tony with the obnoxious showman she saw on TV. She knew he was sarcastic, but she didn’t see him as demanding the spotlight like his alter ego seemed to. She couldn’t help but wonder what the long-term impacts would be once they got to know one another further. Was he just on his best behavior right now and what would change once he became complacent?

She also had to question what she brought to the table. She didn’t think she had anything too outstanding to recommend her. No wealth or connections. Darcy Lewis was a grad student who was a semester short of finishing her degree and had just begun earning a paycheck. She was a fairly practical, level-headed person who had learned a long time ago how to take care of herself. She didn’t actually need a father. But she couldn’t deny that maybe she wanted one.


	11. The Consequences Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The consequences of the world learning Tony Stark has a daughter begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to thestancyg for the beta-reading and the brainstorming!

The consequences of being Tony Stark’s daughter became clearer at lunch. Darcy was just reaching for her phone, which she had been looking at with trepidation all morning, when Tony strolled into the lab saying, “I had Jarvis order from Ming’s, it should be here soon.” He quirked an eyebrow at her in question as she vacillated over her device, and asked, “Have you looked at that at all?”

“I shut off my notifications. My phone started going crazy after you left,” Darcy answered, considering her phone warily. “I was just going to check the headlines.”

Tony winced, asking, “I don’t suppose you have Facebook set on private?” It was suddenly occurring to him that they had overlooked a few key aspects of their relationship becoming public. He had been focused on Darcy and then later had been so wrapped up dealing with the fallout from the morning he hadn’t given any thought to what could be happening online. 

“No,” she said, suddenly even more anxious. Glancing up at him worriedly Darcy tapped the Facebook icon. Seconds later she gasped, “Oh, my god.”

Tony braced himself for the worst and asked, “How bad?” 

“I have 4,786 friend requests. And 2,500 messages,” Darcy said with wide eyes, stunned and horrified that so many people had been to her Facebook page. She barely had over 200 friends, to begin with.

Tony relaxed a fraction. It wasn’t the worst news. That could still be coming, but for now, he thought it was manageable. He shrugged and said, “There’s not much you can do now. You can set it on private; it might limit your exposure. Though, chances are ABC downloaded your entire page before they broke the story.” He leaned against her desk and calmly continued, “Instagram is going to be like Facebook. It’s too late for that too. Your Twitter account is going to be insane. And, they’re all going to be filled with crap you probably don’t want to see,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. 

Darcy starred down at her phone distraught and asked, “Should I delete my accounts?” While she had been dreading the news, it hadn’t occurred to her that her online accounts would be targeted. She hated to think about what she had online. While it was all public, it made her decidedly uncomfortable to know that everything she had ever posted was probably being dissected by total strangers. The question of what they would do with whatever they found concerned her as well. 

“It’s up to you. Chances are everything you have has already been copied,” Tony said, offering, “If you want to delete them Jarvis can save everything and you can sort through it later. Or, you could just lock everything down for now.” 

Considering her phone for a moment Darcy slowly said, “I think locking everything down might be a good idea.”

“Jarvis? Did you get that? Lock them down,” Tony called out as he carefully watched Darcy. He wasn’t sure how she was taking the news that her online life had just taken a radical hit and that her privacy was a thing of the past. 

“Ms. Lewis I have set your Facebook and Instagram accounts to private. Were there any others you would like me to take care of?” Jarvis asked.

“I don’t think so. Twitter doesn’t really matter,” Darcy said resignedly, only to add in a panic as she looked back down at her phone dismayed, “Oh god, my email.”

“Don’t tell me –Darcylewis at gmail.com?” Tony asked, sarcastically. 

“Yes,” Darcy answered with a defiant scowl. 

“It’s toast,” Tony said with a dismissive wave of his hand, adding, “Jarvis what is her running count on emails?” 

“Ms. Lewis currently has 379 emails as of this morning, but it is rising at an exponential rate.” 

“That you should just delete,” Tony said stated. “It’s going to be unmanageable. It’s probably all stuff you don’t want to see anyway. You’ll never be able to use it again.” 

Darcy nodded and began to swipe through her phone with a distressed frown.

“So you said you haven’t looked at the headlines. Are you still going to?” Tony asked watching her, concerned. He had given some thought to it earlier but had gotten sidetracked. Now he wished he had taken a look so he could be prepared for the possible fallout. 

“I’ve sort of been dreading it. But how bad could it be?” Darcy questioned hopefully. As concerned as she was about what the press would say, she was also absurdly curious. There was a small part of her she didn’t want to acknowledge that was titillated by the notion that the press was reporting on her. 

“Google your name to get a feeling for it,” Tony suggested, knowing it would bring up the bigger headlines with the search.

Quickly googling, she gasped, “Oh, my god. There are over 300 hits. It’s only been five hours. How is that even possible?” Amazement and fear started to creep over her as she scrolled through the numerous headlines, dismayed by what she was seeing. 

Tony shrugged, somewhat relieved. “That’s actually kind of low. I was expecting more.”

“And, they already have pictures,” she said, clicking on a link. “Great, this article is using a picture from 3 years ago. I look like a kid,” Darcy grumbled, staring down at her phone with a disgruntled frown.

“Yeah, they probably got it off your Facebook page. Don’t worry about it,” Tony said sympathetically, thinking that thus far it didn’t sound too bad.

“Well, I guess I have to give this one credit for originality if anything,” Darcy said as she slowly sat down at her desk, continuing to read through the headlines.

“What have they come up with?” Tony asked somewhat hopeful, seeing as she was so calm.

“Eh. Well, Little Orphan Darcy Found Her Daddy Warbucks has a certain ring to it,” she said with a wince. 

Tony rolled his eyes and asked, “What else you got?”

“None of the rest are that original. Stark Tower has a Princess, The Lost Stark Heir Found, It’s a Girl! Stark Welcomes Long Lost Daughter,” she recited. “They’re making me sound like a child. So are the pictures they’re using. I’m 21, not 12,” Darcy groused. 

“Well, those aren’t so bad really,” Tony said relieved and moderately surprised.

“Yeah. Those are the ones I’m willing to read,” Darcy cautioned. “Here’s one that sums up the rest - Gold Digger Darcy Strikes it Rich,” she said disdainfully. She was distinctly uncomfortable with the implication that she was after his money. The more she read through the headlines, the more distressed she became. 

“Ouch. Yeah, I was expecting more of those,” Tony acknowledged with a grimace, sensing her insecurity behind her condescending tone. He could see how self-conscious Darcy was with just reading one headline and wished there was something he could do to reassure her. He also knew that she needed time to adjust to how his money was going to impact her life. 

“Ok, I’m done. I’m not going to do this now. Let’s eat lunch,” she said decisively, quickly putting her phone down. Reading the headlines listed on Google was more upsetting than she had expected. She suddenly didn’t feel quite so excited to see what the press had to say.  


“You might not want to read any of it. With the spin they gave the story this morning none of it will be good,” Tony said, cautiously, trying to prepare her for what she was likely to find. 

“Why would they immediately jump to the conclusion that you didn’t want me or that I’m only after your money?” Darcy questioned glaring down at her phone, and then over to Tony. 

“My guess is whoever sold them the information spun the story in that direction and they’re running with it. They probably think they have something to back it up,” Tony explained, adding with a shrug, “Though what it could be I don’t know. Who knows what they said. The press will say whatever sells best.” 

“You’re probably right,” Darcy said dejectedly, still bothered that the story was being presented in the worst possible light for both of them.

“Don’t worry about it. Even if we told them the truth they’d spin it in a dozen different directions. We can try to put a positive face on things by releasing some information later if you want,” Tony said, trying to reassure her, suggesting, “We’ll watch what they report and sic legal on them if they step out of line. But there isn’t a lot you can do. Just don’t take it too seriously. It’s not real. Ok?”

“It seems real,” Darcy complained. “But I get what you’re saying. Nothing they write is going to be the actual truth,” she said, trying to bring her expectations of what the press should be saying in line with the reality of what they were actually reporting.

“Exactly. Hold on to that thought,” Tony encouraged her. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a necklace saying, “In the meantime, I have something I need to give you. If you don’t like it we can change it, it’s no problem. Pepper has a dozen of them; you could always borrow one of hers until we get you something nicer.” 

“Ok,” Darcy said slowly, not sure what he was talking about.

“Here. You need to wear this from now on,” Tony said firmly, handing her a small red ruby pendant on a silver chain, hoping she liked it as it would make its necessity that much easier to accept. He had tried to find something that would suit her and had gone with something simple. 

“Um. Not that it isn’t pretty but why are you giving me jewelry and insisting I wear it?” Darcy asked confused, but not ready to reject Tony’s request outright as he seemed very agitated about it. 

“It’s a tracking device,” he said frankly. “It’s part of the security measures we need to go over later,” he added vaguely, bracing himself for Darcy’s response.

“Tracking device?” Darcy repeated mildly alarmed looking down at the necklace and back up at him.

“We just need to take some precautions,” Tony explained casually, adding, “Pepper has protocols in place and I thought we would just replicate them for you.”

“Protocols for what?” Darcy asked startled.

“In case there’s a kidnapping attempt,” Tony answered pragmatically, deciding there was no point in beating around the bush. Darcy would need to be aware of the potential threat if they were going to be able to effectively counteract it. 

“Kidnapping?” Darcy burst out in disbelief. 

“That’s one of the reasons why you’re going to need security,” Tony explained preparing himself for an argument. 

“Wait, I thought they were just going to be there to handle the press. To keep the reporters and photographers away,” Darcy argued dismayed, not liking the idea that security might actually be needed. 

“They are, mostly,” Tony answered with an unconcerned shrug. “But, one of the ways we can protect you is if you wear that. We can track you, as long as you have it on. Pepper has them in her shoes too, just in case they take her jewelry,” he explained, trying to reassure her he added, “I know this seems like a lot but it’s just a precaution.”

Darcy stared down at the necklace, her mind had stuttered to a stop as Tony explained what it was for. Her life had taken a turn into the surreal earlier that morning and it just kept going. Tony was seriously talking about kidnapping as if it were a real possibility. “You know this is crazy right?” she asked him incredulously. “Kidnapping? Hey Jane, Tony thinks I’m going to get kidnapped!” she exclaimed, flabbergasted by the very idea. 

“What?” Jane looked up from a report she was reading startled. Narrowing her eyes in confusion she asked, “Did you just say you’re going to get kidnapped?”

“Yeah, Tony thinks I’m going to get nabbed,” Darcy answered cackling in amazement, astounded by the very idea and by Tony, who seemed oddly serious for something that was so ridiculous. 

“You don’t really do you?” Jane asked suddenly concerned, turning her attention to Tony. 

“No. We just need to plan for all contingencies,” he explained, resigned that the conversation might take some time.

“This is crazy,” Darcy contended.

“No, it’s not,” Tony argued back calmly.

“No really. I don’t think you get it. This morning I was getting breakfast. I was minding my own business and all hell broke loose. And now you’re talking about kidnapping!?” Darcy protested. She was suddenly done. Her world had become incomprehensible and was going in directions that were unfathomable just hours before. 

Tony winced. Apparently, Darcy had gotten over her initial shock and had moved on to denial. He had sort of hoped they’d skip that step. “It’s only a precaution,” Tony assured her. Trying to pacify her he added, “We can get anything you want made. Bracelets, earrings, rings, watches. Gold, silver, platinum. Whatever you want.”

“You’re totally serious,” Darcy said dumbfounded. 

“Yes, I am,” Tony confirmed.

“This is crazy,” she repeated emphatically. 

“We covered that already,” Tony snarked back at her.

“Tony. No one is going to kidnap me. Why would they?” Darcy asked finding the entire idea inconceivable. 

“Because you’re my daughter,” Tony stated flatly. “You’re going to be a target from now on. I had hoped this would never happen. But it’s too late now. Now we can only make the best of it and that means wearing that,” he said gesturing to the necklace Darcy was still holding. 

“You’re being paranoid,” Darcy argued good-naturedly. “No one is going to kidnap me. All I have is a couple hundred bucks in my checking account,” Darcy said with a dismissive scuff. 

“Darcy do you know how much you’re worth?” Tony asked fervently. “Name an amount. I’d pay it. It doesn’t matter how much they ask for. I would double it, triple it, if it meant getting you back safe.” 

Stunned, Darcy gaped at him before quietly saying in protest, “Tony.”

“There are people out there even now wondering how much you’re worth to me. I was kidnapped twice by the time I was sixteen. It comes out of nowhere and could even be someone you think you know. I’m asking you to take some basic precautions because I don’t want you to go through what I did,” Tony explained urgently, trying to make her see that he wasn’t exaggerating. 

Darcy stared at him silently, clearly shocked. She opened her mouth to say something and then snapped it shut. Looking down at the dangling jewel, she threaded her fingers through the chain and after a moment’s consideration, unlocked the clasp. She glanced at him and then slipped the chain around her neck. A small contemplative frown crossed her face as she adjusted the pendant and looking up at him she said contritely, “Alright.”

“Alright?”

“Yes, I’ll wear it. This is still completely crazy,” she mildly complained. With a resigned sigh she added apologetically, “But, I’m sorry. It just doesn’t seem real. I mean, kidnapping? But, ok. If you think it’s that important I’ll wear it.” Darcy was disturbed by everything Tony had just said. It was disconcerting to think he was willing to pay a ransom for her. That he had been kidnapped saddened and scared her and made her feel ashamed and thoughtless for arguing like she had.

Tony sighed in relief. The conversation had been a little rocky but had ended the way it needed to. Darcy was wearing the pendant. That she had complained and argued was something he could weather, as long as, in the end, she was safe. 

 

After lunch, with their new program running, Darcy convinced Jane they needed to freshen up with showers and a change of clothes. Heading up to her apartment Darcy braced for what she would find and began reading the articles she had seen earlier. The flutter of excitement she had felt previously was long gone by the time she finished reading. 

The coverage from the morning’s debacle with the press was front and center as they were the most recent pictures anyone had of her. While Darcy had expected the photographs, she hadn’t been prepared for the media to report the coffee fiasco. They leaned heavily on the bad behavior aspect of the story since she had apparently thrown the coffee at the press. There was no mention of her being been besieged on all sides and that they had knocked the tray from her hands. 

The pictures from the morning’s confrontation were admittedly bad. Her hair was a rat’s nest on top of her head and she wasn’t wearing makeup. In half the pictures her glasses were crooked and she was grimacing unattractively. Darcy doubted she could have looked worse. The press had already dissected her ‘look’ and had come down decidedly in the negative. Humorously one of the commentators observed she looked like she had slept in her clothes. Considering she had, she couldn’t argue. Apparently, Darcy didn’t look like much of an heir and they questioned if Tony was being stingy with his money since she was dressed so poorly. 

The only concrete information the morning show had shared was that Darcy was a college student and the paternity test, which clearly indicated Tony was her father. The rest of the media used it to create stories based on speculation. It ran rampant and covered everything from Tony knowing about her all along and keeping her secret, to just learning of her existence days before. The subtle and not so subtle subtext was that he wasn’t thrilled to have her. The one thing all of the reports seem to agree on was that Darcy had struck it rich and was after the Stark fortune. 

Turning on the TV ended up being a mistake. As she flipped through channels she landed on ABC advertising their heir to Stark fortune exclusive airing later that night. It hadn’t really hit Darcy until that moment. She was being called the Stark heir, which scared her in a way she couldn’t identify. It also wasn’t something Tony had said anything about. Claiming her as his daughter was one thing, suddenly deciding she was his heir was something else altogether.

At a loss to know what to do with herself and disturbed by the morning’s coverage and the evening’s coming report Darcy retreated to the lab reassured that at least Jane would be there. While their program ran she planned to dig into some research she had been working on for her thesis. Unfortunately, with the day’s events, she couldn’t concentrate and made little headway. Luckily, Tony swung by the lab with the latest update. 

“I thought you’d want to know PR took care of the press conference,” Tony reported. “As for tonight’s coverage, we don’t know what they’re going to say but legal is ready if they go too far. My guys are dying for a 1st Amendment case. It’s been a while since they’ve had a chance to sue anyone for defamation. That’s always fun,” he said, with a cynical smirk, leaning against the counter nearest Darcy’s desk. 

“Oh wow. You would do that?” Darcy asked surprised. “I mean, I guess I thought they could say whatever they wanted.” She had never considered before just how out of context anything could be twisted until she read the afternoon’s stories. She dreaded to think what the press would come up with if they actually had her SHIELD file. 

“Oh, no. They step out of line and legal will be all over them,” Tony said emphatically. “Hanson has already conveyed the message so they know we’re watching. But chances are they won’t need to make anything up if they have your SHIELD file. They can just spin that. Coulson already did their research for them.”

“Great,” Darcy said dryly.

“Yeah, of all the times for Agent to be thorough,” Tony sarcastically agreed. 

“So are you going to watch the report?” Darcy asked uncertain of what she wanted to do but curious to know what Tony had planned.  
“I don’t care one way or the other. We could watch it together if you want. Or, we could just read the synopses that PR or legal come up with tomorrow,” Tony offered, wanting Darcy to know she had options.

“I just wish we could stop it somehow,” Darcy said, dejected. “I just found out. Shouldn’t it be just between us?” The longer she knew that Tony was her father the more intrusive the press’ reporting felt. It bothered her that something so personal was fodder for entertainment news.

“Yeah, I get that. You want to control the narrative,” Tony answered with a sympathetic nod. His expectations for privacy were so low, the reporting barely fazed him but he understood Darcy’s consternation. 

“Well yeah, if everyone has to know, then why not let us tell them?” Darcy groused, viciously stabbing pens into a holder as she cleared her desk. Given the choice, she wouldn’t have told anyone except Jane. 

“Well, we could,” Tony suggested, suddenly hit with inspiration.

“Could what?” Darcy responded vaguely, as she organized some papers, not really following what Tony was saying. 

“Tell them. We could preempt the story,” Tony eagerly explained. 

“How would we do that?” Darcy asked turning to him, intrigued by his suggestion. 

Tony casually pulled out his phone saying, “It just occurred to me, we don’t have any pictures of us together.” 

“No, we don’t,” Darcy slowly agreed, wondering why Tony had suddenly deviated from the topic. 

With a mischievous grin, Tony held out his phone and said, “We need to rectify that.” 

“Ok,” Darcy said not unwilling but uncertain of Tony’s seemingly random train of thought. 

“And then we post them. On Twitter,” he said with unbridled glee, pleased with himself, knowing they would be yanking the press’ proverbial chain and at the same time give Darcy a chance to reclaim some control of the story. 

“Really?” Darcy exclaimed sitting forward in her chair. 

“Sure, why not?” Tony said with a careless shrug. “We’ll get ahead of the game. They’ll probably highjack the picture but we might be able to spin the story in a more positive direction.” He was fairly certain that by posting the picture they would at least successfully challenge the presumption that Darcy was unwanted. He also hoped it would detract from the other negative stories currently running. 

“I guess that makes sense,” Darcy said considering it, slowly warming up to the idea. 

“Hey, we don’t have to do it, it’s just a thought,” Tony hastened to reassure her, worried that it might be a step too far for her right then. 

“No I like it, let’s do it,” Darcy stated eagerly coming to stand next to him.

Tony grinned as he put his arm around her and pulled her close. He glanced down at her and said, “Ready? Say cheese!” Darcy laughed and leaned into him smiling. In an instant, the photo was taken. Holding it out to look at it Tony said with a satisfied nod, “We look good. Well, here it goes. 1st picture of Daddy and darling daughter Darcy!”

“You can’t say that!” Darcy exclaimed.

“What? It’s perfect,” Tony said, dismayed at her protest.

“You need to come up with something better than that!” she complained horrified.

“Alright, how does meet my beautiful daughter Darcy sound?” Tony said affably. 

“You can’t say that either!” Darcy objected again. 

“Why not? It’s true,” Tony argued back confused at her dissent.

“Because, it’s not-” Darcy began, flummoxed by his insistence on using such mortifying descriptors. She had never had anyone call her darling or beautiful before and didn’t quite know how to accept the endearment.

“It’s done,” Tony he said with conviction, taping his phone and looking at her with an elated grin. “You got one veto. You didn’t want to be my darling daughter so now you’re my beautiful daughter. ”

“Well – thank you,” Darcy said with a self-conscious smile, adding hesitantly, “I guess it’s really out there now. Isn’t it?”

“Yep. No take backs,” Tony said pleased with himself, all the while knowing Darcy didn’t yet understand the impact the picture would have. He knew that posting a picture of them together would irrefutably confirm that she was his daughter. 

 

Before Tony left for the afternoon he invited Darcy to dinner, specifically mentioning that Pepper would like to get to know her. They had met briefly in passing when she had stopped by the lab looking for Tony. At the time Darcy had been working on a project and was a sweaty mess in her welding gear. She hoped she could make a better impression at dinner. 

Dinner was not a high brow affair but nor was it just take out. Apparently Tony had a chef, which, while not expected, was also not a surprise. Pepper was a gracious host so what could have been awkward wasn’t at all painful. They quickly found common ground discussing the latest political happenings and bonded over teasing Tony. Eventually, the conversation turned to the coming news report and they settled in together to watch the coverage. 

The newscast sensationalized the story, presenting Darcy as the Stark heir, making much of the fact that she was the long-lost daughter, come home to claim the fortune. Initially, they focused on Darcy’s history. They had done their research and had somehow found pictures of her parents and of Darcy from her school years. The reporter relished reporting that she had been placed in 8 different homes in 5 years after her parents died and she became a ward of the state. They questioned how Tony could have allowed such a thing to happen and used it as evidence that he didn’t want her to begin with. 

The story turned to Darcy’s early admittance to college and proposed that like Tony she had a higher than average IQ, as she was following in his footsteps. Citing her previous job as a mechanic at a local garage near Culver, they postulated she hadn’t been aware of her true parentage, implying it was a menial job beneath her if she were a Stark. Conversely, they linked Darcy’s job to Tony, pointing out that he was a mechanical engineer and since she was getting her masters in both electric and mechanical engineering it should come as no surprise that Darcy would choose such an occupation. 

The story delved into her internship with Jane, pausing briefly to ponder why she would intern for an astrophysicist, questioning the appropriateness of her holding such an insignificant position. They linked her relationship with Jane to the pictures that had been taken the prior week of them out to lunch with Tony and questioned just how long they had been acquainted. They speculated that the women worked in the tower as Darcy had been seen entering the tower earlier that morning. 

To add just a bit more intrigue to the story, the journalist revealed that Darcy had recently been arrested by a government agency without saying which one or why implying there was more to the story. They stated clearly that she had been released only due to Tony’s interference. The reporter proceeded to connect her arrest to the confrontation with the press that morning, using the worst photos, questioning if they could expect more bad behavior from Darcy in the future. They then tied it to Tony’s past shenanigans pointing out that bad behavior was almost a prerequisite to being a Stark.

The reporter acknowledged they did not know how Darcy learned of her parentage but proposed that the information had been revealed to her when she turned 21. They tied that speculation to the possibility that the Stark patriarch, Howard, had arranged a trust fund for future grandchildren and she had been notified when she became eligible to receive it. 

On the other side of the story was Tony’s lack of involvement. They speculated that he had known about Darcy but wanted nothing to do with her, returning to her adoption and her time with social services, stating unequivocally that had he cared, he never would have allowed either to happen. They then reversed that speculation by suggesting it was possible he had known about Darcy and had kept her hidden all these years. 

The journalist then turned to question who Darcy’s mother could be and how Tony had known her, not so subtly referencing his hard party years and his involvement with countless women. They doubted Darcy’s mother had even known Tony was her father, alluding to the fact that had she known she would have come to him for financial support and would never have given Darcy up for adoption. 

They then turned to the paternity test, postulating that Tony might not have been aware Darcy existed until it came to light. They didn’t address why the test had been performed or who had provided the document. But they used it as irrefutable evidence that Tony was Darcy’s father, adding that Stark Industries had verified the relationship. Lastly, they presented the photo Tony had posted to his Twitter account acknowledging Darcy as his daughter as proof that she had officially been claimed as the heir to the Stark fortune.

By the time the story had finished Darcy was hunched tightly in her chair, looking down despondently at her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Tony wasn’t happy with the report but he wasn’t surprised. He was however disturbed to see its effect on Darcy. Trying to lighten the mood he said sarcastically, “Well, at least they got our names right?”

Darcy gave him a half-hearted smile, “Yeah.”

“Hey, listen. I know it seemed bad, but it really wasn’t,” he said unconvincingly. 

“It wasn’t?” Darcy quietly asked dismayed.

“Well. It wasn’t great, but it could have been worse, maybe,” Tony hedged uncertainly. Letting the conversation lag for a moment he said with a sigh, “They shouldn’t have known about your arrest. That wasn’t in the file. Whoever sold it knew more than they should have.” He shifted gears and said cheekily, “Though, now you can get away with doing just about anything in public. You’re already living up to the Stark family reputation.”

“Great. I have a bad girl reputation,” Darcy deadpanned. “I have never in my life been anything other than a nerd. I like being a nerd,” Darcy said, fixating on the story’s more frivolous aspects, unable to cope with the story’s larger implications. 

“Yeah well, I’m a nerd too. But it doesn’t sell so the press ignores it. People don’t want nerds, they want bad behavior and attention-grabbing antics,” Tony explained, adding disdainfully, “Trust me, I could teach a class on what the press will and will not print.”

Darcy glowered at Tony, not comforted at all by his commentary. All the speculation in the story had stirred up a lot of uncomfortable feelings. It had been a long time since she had given her mother any thought and didn’t like the story’s insinuations. The allegation that she was Tony’s heir was troubling and she was hoping she could escape to her apartment before anyone brought it up for discussion. She didn’t know what Tony’s thoughts were on the matter but found it disturbing to even think about, regardless of which way he fell on the topic. 

“You’re both nerds,” Pepper said with an affectionate smile and then added thoughtfully, “The story wasn’t great but it’s recoverable. In time it will dissipate and in the meantime, if it bothers you we can work with PR and present a more positive, honest picture of who you are.”

Darcy didn’t say anything, uncomfortable with the idea. She barely knew what she thought about everything herself, much less what to tell the world. The idea of bringing PR into the mess was scary and confusing. 

“Yeah, hey great idea Pep. What do you think? Want PR to take you on? They could tie you up in a bright shiny bow and no one will even remember tonight’s story,” Tony teased her.

“I don’t know,” Darcy said doubtfully, not willing to reject anything Tony suggested even though she knew he was being facetious. 

“You don’t need to decide anything right now,” Pepper said reassuringly. “Sleep on it and in a few days if you want to move forward or even just talk about what your options are come talk to me or Tony. We’re here ok?”

“Thank you. This is all just a lot,” Darcy said solemnly. 

“Yeah, I get that,” Tony said understanding Darcy was probably feeling overwhelmed after the day she had had. “One thing I want you to understand,” he said seriously, leaning toward her. “They were wrong. If I had known about you before, I never would have let social services take you. I might not have been a good father but I would have been there.”

Touched by his sincerity Darcy said appreciatively, “I think you would have been a good father.”

Tony grinned at her saying, “Of course, now you’re stuck with me. No take backs, remember?”

Darcy smiled weakly, warmed by his gentle teasing. “You’re stuck with me now too, you know.”

“Well good, we can be stuck together,” he exclaimed. 

Darcy chuckled softly, amused by his antics, recognizing the effort Tony was putting in to make her feel better. Taking a second or two to regain her equilibrium Darcy took a breath and then looked between Tony and Pepper and saying, “Thank you. For tonight. I’m glad I didn’t have to watch that alone.”

“Of course,” Pepper said, reaching out to her, saying, “And, you’re not alone. We’ll be here.”

“Pepper’s right. Now I was thinking – party?” Tony asked with hopeful anticipation. “I promised you champagne, did I not?”

Darcy looked at him in disbelief and incredulously gulped, “Party?”

“No? Not party?” Tony questioned her, still hopeful. 

“I like parties,” Darcy said with a slightly bewildered smile, enjoying seeing Tony momentarily flummoxed. 

“Tony, parties aren’t the answer to everything,” Pepper gently reprimanded him with a patient smile. 

“But how better to celebrate my new darling daughter?” Tony whined grinning over at Darcy, teasing her, remembering how she had reacted to the nickname.

“I’m sure you can come up with a better way,” Pepper lightly chastised him. “You just need to give it some thought.” 

“Yeah, ok,” Tony grudgingly agreed before turning to Darcy expectantly and saying, “But if you do want to throw one just say the word. It’ll take me an hour, two tops.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied dryly.

Tony nodded, satisfied that Darcy seemed to be pulling out of her malaise. He doubted she would shake it off completely as her first brush with the media had been intensely personal. But he hoped she would at least gain a better understanding of what to expect moving forward.

They wrapped up the night easily and as Darcy headed to her apartment she was comforted by the couple’s words. She didn’t feel quite so alone in the mess that had suddenly become her life. She couldn’t necessarily articulate how dismayed she was over the night’s report but at the same time, Tony had been reassuring in his response. She was beginning to understand and believe that he really was glad he found her.


	12. Ready or Not Here Change Comes!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changes happen whether Darcy is ready or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in updating. Summer school was a bear! I assure you this will be finished. I have another two chapters in rewrites right now and a full outline! Special thanks to thestancyg for once again proofreading and brainstorming!
> 
> Thank you so much for the kudos and comments! They mean the world. I am stunned by the positive response this story has received.

The following morning Tony was distractedly moving from one project to another, unable to settle, agitated by the previous night’s report. They had spun the story in a half-dozen directions, none of them favorable. He didn’t care so much about what they said about him. He had heard it all in his time. But he couldn’t help but cringe when he thought about the segment regarding Darcy’s mother. They painted her as a harlot with little concern for her child, who would have cared for Darcy only if she had known Tony was the father. He wondered why Darcy’s mother never approached him and came to some unsavory conclusions. Still, had he known he would have helped, no matter what sort of irresponsible kid he had been at the time. He kept trying to remember where he had been 22 years ago but the time blurred into parties and endless meetings Obie dragged him to as he began to take on the responsibilities of running the company. Nothing and no one stood out from those chaotic years. 

Tony was a mechanic at heart, which meant he fixed things but in this instance, he had few options. He couldn’t remember Darcy’s mother and even if he did what would it matter at this point? And as upset as Darcy had been about the previous day’s events there was little he could do to make it better. Throwing money at the problem wasn’t possible as Pepper had curtailed his impulse to buy Darcy something. They had discussed Darcy’s immediate options when it came to dealing with the press and she seemed to be coping with it fairly well. Tony was also grappling with setting his legal staff on SHIELD, infuriated that Fury had yet to call him with the news he wanted to hear. He was left with an overwhelming urge to bludgeon whoever had sold Darcy’s file. Which wasn’t helpful as there wasn’t anyone he could direct his ire at, besides Fury, who was technically trying to help. As such he was ill-prepared for his mornings’ visitor. 

“Good morning,” Natasha Romanoff said as she strolled into Tony’s workshop, once again apparently unhindered by the tower’s many security features. 

“Agent Romanoff now is not the best time. You might have heard I’m not on speaking terms with SHIELD at the moment,” Tony said barely glancing in her direction as he quickly closed down the documents on the holograph display.

“That’s why I’m here,” Natasha replied evenly.

“Oh?” Tony questioned, refusing to give her his attention as he picked up a random piece of equipment from a pile on his workbench.  


“Natalie Rushman went out for drinks last night,” the spy said, conversationally, relaxing back against a counter diagonal from him, undisturbed by Tony’s disinterest.

“And, why do I care?” Tony asked irritated to be reminded of the persona she had donned to infiltrate Stark Industries a year ago. 

“She met a legal associate from ABC and they had a little chat,” Natasha explained, looking at him expectantly. 

Tony paused and then slowly turned toward her, his curiosity peaked asking, “Oh really, and what did they chat about?” 

“Did you know Tony Stark has a daughter? And ABC has the exclusive? Isn’t that just amazing?” Natasha gushed.

“You don’t say. And what did this legal associate have to say about this exclusive?” Tony asked coolly as he crossed his arms and leaned casually against the table behind him, beginning to enjoy the game they were playing. 

“There was a third party involved in negotiations for the story but this associate saw the source,” the spy shared with a malicious smile. 

“Is that so?” Tony responded nonchalantly. 

“Big guy. Pompous ass from all accounts. Seemed to think they weren’t paying him enough. Couldn’t keep his voice down,” Natasha described the source with contempt. 

Tony stilled, cocked his head, considering her for a moment and asked, “Blond?” Instantly jumping to the first person that roughly fit the description and who was the only person he could think of with the means and motivation to hurt Darcy.

“Yes.”

“Don’t suppose you got a name?” Tony asked nonchalantly, turning to pick up some wire off the table behind him, twisting it absently. 

“No, but the source fits the description of a SHIELD agent that was recently removed from a sensitive operation,” Natasha said with an expectant smirk.

“Oh, really? I wonder why that was,” Tony asked indifferently. 

“Rumor has it assets were mishandled,” the spy shared, dispassionately. 

“Well, that is unfortunate,” Tony said with sarcastic sympathy. 

“It really is,” Natasha casually agreed, as she pushed away from the counter she had been leaning on. 

“Anything else?” he asked, curiously. 

“No,” Natasha said, adding as she strolled out of the workshop, “Expect a call.” 

Suddenly much calmer, Tony settled on a project. He was gratified to know that the agent responsible for Darcy and Jane’s misadventures with SHIELD had paid a price for his ineptness. That Natasha was taking steps to prove his culpability in selling Darcy’s file was reassuring as well, as Tony knew she’d find a way to convict him. Tony’s unfocused rage now had a target and he found himself considering any number of ways of making the man pay. If Fury didn’t take action soon, Tony would.

 

*****

 

“We’re going to have to go back to getting groceries delivered,” Darcy said over her first cup of coffee of the morning. “I had planned to take this morning off to go shopping while the numbers were crunching but I can’t actually leave the building.”

“I can go, Darcy,” Jane offered looking up from her desk and the report in front of her.

“Jane, first of all, you won’t be able to carry half the stuff I have on our list and second of all, the last time I sent you alone to the grocery store you came back with pop tarts and bananas. That was it. Bananas weren’t even on the list. So no, I’m not letting you lose alone in a grocery store. Besides you probably won’t get past the plaza. They used last week’s pictures in the report last night so now everyone knows who you are too.”

“Great,” Jane muttered. “So I take it you watched it?”

“Yeah, I watched with Tony and Pepper,” Darcy answered, thoughtfully rolling her coffee cup between her hands. 

“How was it?” Jane asked cautiously.

“I don’t know,” Darcy said despondently, throwing out as an afterthought, “Horrible.” 

“How did Tony take it?” Jane asked.

“He was pretty chill. They both were. Actually, they were the one good thing about last night,” Darcy said contemplatively.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, Pepper was a lot of fun actually. We talked about the G-20 Summit. And then we picked on Tony. The dinner part of the evening was good,” Darcy said with a confident nod, satisfied with the early half of her evening. 

“Why was the rest of the evening so bad?” Jane asked. 

“I don’t know Jane. Maybe because I watched my entire life get dragged through the mud on national television,” Darcy complained. 

“Oh. I’m - I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to- “Jane stuttered, taken back by Darcy’s vehemence.

“No, I’m sorry,” Darcy apologized tiredly, waving Jane’s concern away with a reassuring gesture. “I shouldn’t take this out on you. It’s just a lot. They made it sound like I was either some lost waif or an ambitious gold digger. Basically said my mother was a slut and that if she had known Tony was my father she would have hit him up for money and never given me up for adoption. And they kept harping on about me being his heir. Which is just wrong. The only thing I’m an heir of is your duct tape.”

“You can’t have my duct tape. I have plans for my duct tape,” Jane said flatly in mock seriousness.

“Ha,” Darcy said with a small appreciative smile, touched by her attempt at levity. 

“I’m sorry it was so terrible,” Jane sympathized. “I decided not to watch it. I figured anything I needed to know you or Tony would tell me.”

“Well, you’re probably the only person in the entire country,” Darcy griped. 

“I’m sure not everyone believed the report,” Jane insisted.

“Yeah, the thing is they didn’t actually lie about anything. It was just the way they said it,” Darcy explained. “They just twisted everything just a little bit to give their theories credence. They basically said working as a mechanic to pay for school was beneath me if I was a Stark but then said it was expected if I was Tony’s daughter since he’s an engineer and that’s what I’m studying. Then in the next breath, they questioned how Tony could ever allow me to work to pay for school,” she said in a huff. “And, they made it seem like, since I’m a Stark, being your intern was beneath me. They didn’t mention you’re my thesis advisor or that you’re brilliant and have 3 PhDs and I’m lucky you took me on,” she said scornfully.

“Hey, I took you on because you were the only one crazy enough to want to chase aurora anomalies in the middle of the New Mexican desert,” Jane protested. 

“Jane, I know there was more than one applicant,” Darcy said smiling fondly. “Not everyone thought you were a crackpot. Granted, some old fogies did. Still do. But there were plenty of people who thought you were on to something long before Thor fell out of the sky,” Darcy argued. “And now look, you’re a world-renowned astrophysicist studying an actual wormhole. No one has ever done that before. But they didn’t say any of that,” she complained. 

“The story wasn’t about me, so it doesn’t matter,” Jane dismissively. Concerned with how troubled Darcy was she asked kindly, “Is there anything I can do to help?” 

Darcy frowned in contemplation saying, “Not really. At the moment I just wish it would all go away.”

“Well, is there anything that can make it better?” Jane asked. 

“Well, maybe. I don’t really know. Pepper and Tony suggested I talk to their PR department about telling my own story. But what is my story? I found out yesterday from the press. That’s my story. It’s not one I care to tell anyone,” Darcy said aggravated, putting down her coffee cup firmly. 

“I can see that,” Jane agreed thoughtfully, “But you don’t need to tell anyone how you found out. Maybe just talk what you’re studying will help you feel like you have more control over everything. It can’t hurt to have people hear from you directly. It might make you more real to them.”

“I suppose. I just haven’t thought that far ahead yet. Part of me is still trying to get my arms around out what happened yesterday. Most of it doesn’t seem real and then it really does when I remember I can’t leave the building to get coffee or go grocery shopping. I keep thinking there has to be a way out of this. It’s like I’m looking for a way to undo everything.” 

“You don't really want to undo everything do you?” Jane asked concerned.

“No,” Darcy denied with a sigh. “Not everything. Finding out about Tony was good. I mean, I always wanted a dad and now here he is. But it doesn’t feel real yet. It’s everything that comes with it that I don’t want to deal with,” Darcy explained tiredly. 

“That’s not going to happen,” Jane said sympathetically, adding, “Tony is a full package deal. You might not have bought the ticket but you’re along for the ride now.”

“Yeah, I know,” Darcy said emphatically.

“Well, think about it. Maybe this PR idea is something you might want to look into,” Jane encouraged, adding, “In the meantime, Jarvis will order our groceries and we’ll go hang out on the roof if we want to go outside.”

Darcy smiled wryly, “One good thing that’s come out of all this. I can’t make you leave the building.”

“Hey. I leave the building,” Jane protested. “The roof counts. There’s sunshine. There’s even wind and rain.”

“So you get exposed to the weather,” Darcy said exasperated, adding, “What about human interaction?”

“That’s what I have you and Tony for,” Jane said with a laugh. 

“Your perspective on normal human interaction is severely limited,” Darcy said amused.

“Eh. Human beings are overrated,” Jane said, waving her hand dismissively, “Besides right now I don’t think either of us wants to get within ten feet of anyone we don’t know.”

“True. But as soon as the press leaves we’re going somewhere. I don’t care where. I’m going to go stir crazy if I can’t leave the building,” Darcy declared.

“You’ll survive a few days,” Jane said, straightening the pages of the report she had been reading. Heading toward the coffee maker she added, “If you’re making a grocery list be sure to get the blueberry pop tarts with frosting, the ones without just aren’t as good.”

“Already got it. Anything else?”

“No. Whatever you get is fine,” Jane said absently as she fixed her coffee, adding, “We’re probably going to need more breakfast foods since you can’t go out anymore.”

“On it,” Darcy said finishing her coffee.

“Ok, well then let’s go check the readings on the roof so we can run new numbers. And see, I’m going outside,” Jane pointed out petulantly. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Darcy acknowledged her amused. 

 

*****

 

Tony swung by the lab once Jarvis notified him that Jane was in her apartment on a conference call to Culver, leaving Darcy alone for the moment. He was hopeful he had found one solution to the problem that had been nagging at him. Now if only Darcy would see things his way. 

He found Darcy working on a circuit board she was building for one of her final projects and Tony was relieved to see she appeared unfazed by the previous day’s events. “Hey, you got a minute?” he asked, uneasily.

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Well, here’s the thing. I don’t ever want you to go through again what you did in New Mexico,” he explained earnestly.

“Ok,” Darcy responded slowly, taken back by his inexplicable distress. 

“I need you to take this,” Tony said anxiously, holding out a black credit card. He hastened to add, “I know you won’t want it, but take it for me. I need you to always have a way home. This will do that. It will do a lot of other things but that’s the most important.” He was hopeful that Darcy would just take the card but he didn’t expect her too without a fight. She was too proud and self-sufficient to easily accept anything so lavish but he wanted her to have the safety it would provide. 

Caught off guard by his urgency Darcy said gently, “Tony, I can’t accept that.” 

“Yes, you can,” Tony insisted, gearing up for an argument, determined to provide Darcy with another layer of security, whether she wanted it or not.

“No, I can’t,” Darcy said dismayed. 

“Yes. You can,” he repeated. “I want you to be able to buy whatever you want, whatever you need. And if you won’t do that, I can’t force you. But I’m asking you to take this, for your own protection,” Tony entreated. 

“Tony, this isn’t necessary. I don’t need it,” Darcy said firmly. 

“You’re not hearing me. I need you to take it so you’re never stranded again. I never want you to be alone with no one to turn to for help,” Tony explained anxiously, adding firmly, “You’ll always have me. I promise. But what if I can’t be there? Look what happened with Jane. With this I know you’ll be ok. Hell, you could buy a plane with this card. You can get a taxi, or a plane ticket or a hotel. Whatever you need. You’ll be taken care of,” Tony said emphatically.

“Oh,” Darcy said softly, taken back at Tony’s intense plea. She was struck by how earnest he was and how similar his request was to the previous day’s conversation about the necessity of security and wearing the necklace he had given her. 

“Please, just take it,” Tony implored, still trying to hand her the card. “Carry it, even if you never plan on using it. I mean, I want you to use it. Go wild. Buy out Macy’s. Pepper buys shoes. Just take it.”

Darcy paused, considered the card for a long moment and then looked up at him, gently reassuring him, “Tony, you don’t need to do this. I doubt anything like New Mexico will happen again.”

“But you don’t know that for sure,” Tony insisted. “Just take it for me, ok?” he beseeched. 

Not liking how agitated he was, Darcy considered the card further. Putting down her circuit board she reached out and tentatively took it, looking down at its black reflective surface uncertainly. “I’m not sure what to say,” she said hesitantly. After a moments’ contemplation she said quietly, “This really isn’t necessary. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll take it.” She smiled weakly, ruefully adding, “This really would have made a huge difference in New Mexico. That pretty much sucked.”

“Ok, good. Good. Take it, use it, don’t use it. Just keep it,” Tony said still anxious but relieved, knowing the card was another step toward keeping Darcy safe. 

“Alright,” she conceded, insisting resolutely, “But I’m not using it.”

“Hey, I’m only asking you keep it with you.”

“Alright. If it makes you feel better,” Darcy responded with a small, patient smile glancing from Tony to the card. 

“That’s all I ask,” Tony said resolutely. Looking at her he hesitated for a moment, not sure what else to say before stepping away quickly saying, “Thanks. I’ll see for lunch later, yeah?”

Recognizing his sudden discomfort with their emotional exchanged Darcy laughed lightly, amused and with a smile said, “You’re thanking me for taking your credit card?”

Tony paused and turned back to her with an awkward smile saying, “No, I’m thanking you for giving me some peace of mind.” Pointing at the card he added, “With that I know you’ll be taken care of.” He headed toward the exit, relieved he had been able to convince Darcy to take the card. He was learning part of being a dad was dealing with things he didn’t want to think about. He never wanted Darcy to face another situation like her abandonment in New Mexico. With the card he knew it was a good start in making sure she’d be ok. He also was beginning to understand arguing persuasively was something he didn’t have a lot of experience with but it was something he needed to get good at quickly. With Darcy he couldn’t follow his first inclination to throw money at problems but instead had to take a more subtle route to get what he wanted. 

 

********

 

Darcy was just finishing soldering a joint and was pushing up her cumbersome welding goggles over her snarled hair when she heard, “Hello, excuse me? I’m looking for – oh. You’re Darcy Stark.”

“It’s Lewis actually. But can I help you?” Darcy asked the pretty, blond, well-coiffed woman standing at the lab’s entrance.

“I – yes. Hello. I’m Cynthia Cartwright. I’m from public relations. I’ve been assigned to you exclusively,” she gushed, stepping further into the room, looking around curiously.

“Oh, hi. Nice to meet you. I’d shake your hand but I’m kind of a mess right now,” Darcy said waving at her with heavy duty leather gloves.  


“Ah yes, I see. What is it you’re doing?” the woman asked uncertainly.

“At the moment I’m fixing this strut,” Darcy answered nonchalantly, turning to show it to her. 

“I see,” Cynthia said dubiously. 

“So was there something you needed?” Darcy asked uncertainly, unease creeping up on her as she considered what it meant to have a PR rep assigned to her exclusively. 

“Well, I thought it would be best to meet you as soon as possible so we could discuss strategy,” Cynthia explained brightly.

“Strategy?” Darcy said confused. “For what?”

“’For you. You’ll want to put your best foot forward now that you’re representing Stark Industries,” Cynthia clarified. 

“What?” Darcy asked stunned. 

“We really need to discuss the type of image you want to present and how you want to position yourself,” Cynthia continued with earnest excitement.

“Excuse me?” Darcy asked with a sinking feeling, vaguely understanding what the blond meant by image and representing Stark Industries.

“I’m sorry, this is probably all very new to you. But we’re starting in an unfortunate position as it is and we need to get ahead of things while we can,” Cynthia elaborated. 

“Ok, I think we need to start over. What do you need from me?” Darcy asked trying to take control of the conversation.

“To talk to you about the image you want to present moving forward,” Cynthia responded, marginally exasperated as if it were obvious why she was there.

“The only image I want to present is me. Darcy Lewis, intern, grad student, engineer. What else is there?” Darcy asked feeling defensive, not liking the woman’s attitude, nor anything she had said thus far. 

“I see,” Cynthia said understandingly. “I don’t think you’ve considered what it means to represent Stark Industries.” 

“I don’t represent Stark Industries. I work for Jane,” Darcy declared. 

“I see where there’s a misunderstanding,” she said with saccharin sympathy. “You are now a public face for Stark Industries. People are watching you and you reflect back on the company. You’ll want to put your best foot forward to make sure you make the right impression,” the blond patiently explained.

“Oh,” Darcy responded flatly, at loss as to how to respond, disturbed by the woman’s explanation. 

“I’m sure this is all new to you,” Cynthia assured her.

“Yeah. And, PR sent you?” Darcy questioned.

“Yes, Pepper Potts specifically asked that someone be assigned to you,” Cynthia said excitedly.

“Oh,” Darcy repeated in dismay, suddenly understanding.

Cynthia smiled pleasantly, waiting for Darcy to do something. “So do you want to change so we can talk?” she asked.

Darcy stared blankly back at the pretty blond, still caught off guard by the conversation. After the silence dragged on for a few moments, Darcy pulled off her goggles and gesturing with her leather covered hands to her leather apron she said, “You know, I’m a mess right now. I’m going to need a shower and everything. Maybe we can meet tomorrow to go over whatever it is you want to talk about?” 

Clearly disappointed Cynthia said, “Yes, I understand. This isn’t a good time.” Rallying she suggested brightly, “Tomorrow, say 10? We could meet in the marketing offices, they might be more comfortable?” 

“Yeah, sure,” Darcy agreed, not feeling as if she had much choice.

After Cynthia, the PR rep left Darcy tried to get back to her project but eventually set it aside. She was disturbed by the woman’s visit. Tony and Pepper had encouraged Darcy to take some time to think about her situation and yet here the very next day a rep was accosting her for a meeting. Darcy had been under the impression that using Stark Industries PR department was merely a suggestion and that she wasn’t obligated to do anything. Now though, it seemed as if the decision had been made and she needed to get with the program whether she wanted to or not. 

The assertion that Darcy now represented Stark Industries was disconcerting as well, as neither Tony nor Pepper had mentioned anything about it when they spoke the previous evening. But Darcy had to admit it made sense. Darcy was Tony’s daughter and it was his business. She could see how the story reflected back onto Stark Industries. It just hadn’t occurred to her yet that she needed to think in those terms. But if Pepper had sent the rep to meet her, she had obviously decided Darcy needed to start taking Stark Industries into consideration. Which inevitably meant Pepper thought Darcy needed to make some changes.


	13. Image is Apparently Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some issues get resolved just as others evolve. Darcy has a very long day and it isn't even noon yet!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to thestancyg for the multiple beta reads and for taking the time to brainstorm with me. It has made a world of difference!

“Jarvis? Where’s my music?” Tony called out absently as he worked on the holographic image before him. 

“Sir? I believe you will want to take this call. Director Fury is on the line for you. Shall I put him through?” Jarvis explained.

“Yeah, go ahead,” Tony answered with a sigh, sitting back from the display he demanded, “Fury, you better be calling with news I want to hear.”

“Stark, we made an arrest.”

“Was it the agent Darcy tased?” Tony asked knowingly. 

“Yes, it was Mitchell. I take it Romanoff came by?”

“She paid me a visit. So Nick, what happens now?” Tony asked, going back to the holographic display, absently pushing images aside. 

“Mitchell will be charged with the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information,” the director explained gruffly. 

“Yeah, but will it stick? What’s going to happen to him?” Tony jibbed.

“Yes, the charges will stick,” Fury objected. “I can’t predict what his sentence will be Stark. All I can say is this sort of unauthorized disclosure comes with a sentence of up to five years in a federal penitentiary and a fine to be determined by the courts.” 

“It’s been three days. What took so long?” Tony demanded.

“The man’s a federal agent. He knew how to cover his tracks. But Romanoff got him. That’s all you need to know,” the director answered resolutely.

“Uh-hu. He better get what’s coming to him. You know SHIELD is renewing contracts with Stark Industries right now. Do you want the cut-rate deal we’ve been giving you or do I need to tell my guys to start charging market prices?” Tony asked sardonically. 

“There’s no need for threats,” Fury admonished, adding, “Mitchell will be charged later today in federal court. If you don’t believe me go down to the courthouse and see his arraignment for yourself.”

“He better be. Darcy’s life as she knew it is basically over because of him,” Tony grumbled angrily.

The director sighed, “I’m sorry about that. It shouldn’t have happened. The details regarding Lewis were top secret. Mitchell shouldn’t have had access to that information.”

“Uh-hu. So how did he get it?” Tony asked.

“That’s not something I can tell you. Some things are top secret and some of us know how to follow those rules,” Fury replied.

“You know all of this could have been avoided if you had told the truth to begin with,” Tony pointed out.

“Stark, I make a lot of hard decisions. I’d like to say I’m always right, but I can’t,” the director confided. “I make do with the information I have at the time and hope for the best. That is all any of us can do.”

“That’s the closest I’m going to get to an apology isn’t it?”

“Goodbye Stark.”

“Bye Nicky,” Tony said cheerfully, enjoying yanking the director’s chain. 

 

******

 

Based on what Cynthia, the tall, blond PR rep was wearing the day before, Darcy was certain she didn’t own anything that came close to suitable office attire. She ended up wearing her somewhat newish black jeans and a deep burgundy blouse. It would have to do. She gave up on her scuffed heels and wore flats because they looked newer and were more comfortable. If the meeting was going to be as long and as uncomfortable as she expected, at the very least her feet didn’t have to hurt. 

Arriving at the marketing offices, she was greeted by the fawning blond PR rep who introduced her to everyone in the public relations division and eventually led her to a meeting room. The conversation that followed Darcy was only partially braced for. They expected her to do some interviews and make some appearances to clean up the image currently being portrayed by the press. Apparently wayward orphan looking for daddy’s money wasn’t a good look for Stark Industries. Whether that was really the case, no one seemed to care. They wanted to present her as a modern, self-sufficient woman, on her way up. They planned to emphasis she was a genius like dad, was getting her degrees like dad and had a sparkling personality like dad. As uncomfortable as she was with their assumptions Darcy didn’t feel like she could object to anything they said. She had to reluctantly agree the plan made sense, all the while feeling uneasy about what she would need to do to see it through. 

One of the more startling pieces of information Darcy gained was apparently her behavior could impact Stark Industries stock prices. They presented the many ups and downs Stark Industries’ stock had suffered, connecting it to Tony’s occasional bad behavior versus new product rollouts. Cynthia impressed upon Darcy that while she wouldn’t be directly responsible for price fluctuations, the more connected she became with the business the possibility was there. Which circled back to Darcy needing to present herself as a positive, stable addition to Stark Industries. 

As Cynthia detailed the new sophisticated image they imagined for her, Darcy struggled to reconcile herself with it. It was difficult to envision herself as refined and fashionable when her current style could be summed as broke college student. She hadn’t had a lot of time to be concerned about something she couldn’t afford to aspire to so fashion had rarely crossed her mind. But according to Cynthia, her new look would offset the impression she had made in the previous day’s photos which were apparently a problem that needed to rectify as soon as possible. Darcy’s feelings of inadequacy spiked as Cynthia elaborated further on how she should dress in the future. 

“Now we’ll need to go shopping to get you the right clothes for your interviews and of course you’ll want something appropriate to wear to be seen in public,” the rep explained. Looking Darcy over she added, mildly condescending, “And of course, you’ll need to dress for our shopping trip.” 

“What? Isn’t this ok?” Darcy asked glancing down at what she was wearing.

“Oh, well. I’m sure it is perfectly nice for previous functions you attended but now you’ll need to up your game as it were. It’s not quite right for shopping,” Cynthia said sweetly. “Maybe we should shop online first? Get you a few outfits, so you’re ready to face the public? Once you have the beginnings of wardrobe we can actually go shopping.”

“Is this really necessary?” Darcy questioned uncomfortably, feeling more self-conscious as the meeting progressed. “I mean, I don’t go anywhere besides the lab and usually I just wear jeans.”

“Yes, they are a comfortable choice for every day but they aren’t appropriate if you want to go out in public. You will need to present a more put together look,” Cynthia simmered just this side of patronizing. 

“Oh,” Darcy responded dejectedly. 

“Now should we get started?” Cynthia asked, brightly.

“Sure,” Darcy agreed reluctantly.

Cynthia eagerly presented a tablet with Saks Fifth Avenue’s website already displayed saying, “I’ve chosen some pieces for you to consider. Now, of course, this is just preliminary. Once you’ve picked a style we can choose your preferred designers.”

“Oh, um,” Darcy hedged, looking at the displayed items and the prices with dismay. She was quiet for a moment and then suggested hesitantly, “Maybe we could try another store? This is sort of expensive.”

“Oh, well,” Cynthia hesitantly, taken off guard by Darcy’s request. Quickly recovering she pulled up another site saying, “I picked out a few things at Macy’s too, how about this?” 

Darcy glanced at the page and hurriedly reached for the tablet saying, “Why don’t we try Old Navy. I think they have a sale going on.” She was aware the clothes sold there was not what the blond had in mind but she was struggling to find another, cheaper solution. 

“Oh. That’s not quite-. Surely you see you need something more appropriate?” Cynthia asked disconcerted.

“Um, yeah. It’s just - ” Darcy faltered, embarrassed and unsure what to say. Taking a deep breath she admitted, “It’s all too expensive. I can’t afford any of this.” 

“What?” Cynthia choked out surprised.

“I can’t afford this,” Darcy repeated empathically, gesturing to the tablet. Rallying she said, “We need to try another store.”

“But surely-” Cynthia began, stunned by Darcy’s confession. Taking a moment she insisted, “You must have a credit card.”  


“Not for this,” Darcy protested. 

Silence stretched between them until Cynthia asked with thinning patience, “Surely Mr. Stark gave you a card to cover expenses?”  


“Yes,” Darcy snapped back, “But-”

“Oh. Well, I’m sure he’d want you to use it,” Cynthia said suddenly enthusiastic again, declaring, “It’s for just this sort of occasion. He’d want you to look your best now that you’re representing the company.” 

Darcy scowled protesting, “But it’s not an emergency.”

Cynthia sighed aggravated, saying “It really is. You can’t represent Stark Industries like- Well-. It really is imperative that you update your wardrobe.”

They sat silently for a moment before Cynthia said with a touch of condensation, “You need the right clothes to make your mark. Right now the image the public is seeing isn’t well – it’s a bit rough around the edges. Our goal is to polish you up a bit. This will do that,” she said gesturing to the tablet. “It might take a little work and effort on your part. But you’ll see it will be well worth it,” Cynthia persuaded. 

Darcy stared at the tablet, sickened by the situation and feeling badgered. But she was also keenly aware that if Pepper had sent a PR rep to work with her than Darcy was obligated to do so. Cynthia sat back abruptly, crossing her arms in a huff, clearly annoyed that Darcy was resisting her efforts to help her. 

“I -” Darcy began, stumbling to a stop with a frown. Sitting up straighter she took a deep breath and said, “It’s not my money. And, I don’t have anything to do with the business. We haven’t even talked about it.”

Cynthia sat with her arms crossed, lips pressed firmly together in disapproval and considered Darcy for a moment before saying, “Well, if you don’t care about Stark Industries I don’t know how I can help you.”

“It’s not that I don’t care. It’s just-” Darcy hesitated uncertainly, unable to finish her thought. 

Neither moved, each unsettled with the conversation until finally, Cynthia slowly sat forward and said sympathetically, “This all new to you.”

“Yeah,” Darcy agreed. “I only found out two days ago.”

Narrowing her eyes, Cynthia evaluated Darcy for a moment, unsure she had heard correctly. She quietly considered her before carefully saying, “I understand. You haven’t had time think about your situation. That’s what I’m here for. I’ve given this a significant amount of thought and worked hard to put plans in place to help you. But I can’t do that unless you work with me.”

Darcy frowned down at the tablet in her hands and slowly leaned back in her chair dejectedly. She really did need some advice and someone with more experience to help her. It was clear she was out her depth. Darcy just kept resisting everything Cynthia said, continuing to reflect back on the conversation she had with Tony and Pepper. They said she had time and could make up her own mind about what she wanted to do. Now she felt pressured to make decisions about things she hadn’t even been aware of just three days ago. Everything was happening too fast and it felt like her life was spinning out of control. 

Feeling like she had no other choice Darcy hesitantly suggested, “Maybe we can just get a few things?” 

With a smug smile, Cynthia sat forward, taking the tablet from Darcy’s hands saying brightly, “Yes, let’s get started shall we?” 

 

******

 

“Sir?” Jarvis said, turning down the workshop’s music. “You asked to be notified if there was any activity on Ms. Lewis credit card. She has just made a purchase.”

“She did? Where is she? Is she ok? What did she buy?” Tony asked urgently, dropping the sheet metal he was holding and grabbing a rag to wipe his hands, preparing to leave the lab. 

“Ms. Lewis is currently on the 20th floor, in the public relations division of the marketing department. From what I can ascertain she is fine. She purchased an assortment of clothing and shoes from Saks Fifth Avenue.”

“What?” Tony asked in disbelief, coming to a quick stop.

“As I said, she-“

“I heard you,” Tony said dismissively, asking, “Are you sure Darcy actual bought – well everything?”

“Yes, sir. She is meeting with Cynthia Cartwright, a public relations representative, this morning. According to the Marketing Department’s schedule, their initial meeting is for image consulting.”

“Image consulting?” Tony squawked in confused disbelief. After a pause, he quickly reconciled with the idea saying, “Ok, that’s – well. Is she still in PR?” 

“Yes sir, Ms. Lewis’ meeting is scheduled to finish within the next 20 minutes. Would you like me to contact her?”

“No. Just let me know when she gets to the labs. Maybe we can do lunch later.”

“Very well.”

Puzzled Tony turned back to his workbench. He hadn’t expected Darcy to move quite so quickly and contact the PR division without speaking with him first. That she had taken such initiative was surprising. But shopping at Saks seemed out of character. While he didn’t begrudge Darcy her purchases and was gratified to learn she was using the card he gave her, it was unexpected. But, he had to concede, if public relations had gotten a hold of Darcy they would inevitably attempt to groom her to fit the image they had conceived for her. He remembered when they had tried to do that with him when he was her age. He hoped she dealt with it better than he had. 

 

******

 

The meeting with public relations had gone on far longer than Darcy had expected or cared for. She felt drained by the time she got on the elevator and was ready to curl up in bed and hide. The morning had been disheartening, to say the least. She didn’t like the idea that she was suddenly the face of Stark Industries and that from now on everything she did would reflect back on the company. It had never occurred to her that she could actually influence stock prices and it scared the hell out of her. Two days ago she hadn’t cared what anyone thought of her and it was disconcerting that she needed to now. The entire situation was completely outrageous when she considered what she had been doing just three days ago. 

While the idea of interviewing was nerve-wracking, the whole concept of making specific appearances to have her picture taken was bewildering. While it was a concept that she understood, in theory, it was not remotely something relevant to her previously. Nor had she ever dressed in the manner Cynthia insisted was appropriate for her new station in life, whatever that was. Darcy was dimly aware that Tony’s money would probably impact her socially but the implication that she had been lower class just days before grated. Darcy had silently accepted what she had been told during the meeting all the while internally questioning just who was to say what was appropriate. Darcy had no desire to buy new clothes or shoes. She didn’t need jewelry or purses. Even if she was doing it all for the benefit of Stark Industries. 

Darcy also questioned where she would wear her new purchases. It wasn’t like they were appropriate for her workplace. It was as if Cynthia expected her to become some sort of debutant. The blond didn’t seem to understand that Darcy planned to continue working; that she was a student and an engineer, neither of which called for designer labels. Darcy mentally rebelled against all of it. While she could see the sense in buying a suit and maybe a few good outfits, she preferred her worn jeans and sweaters, which she could actually afford. She wanted to wear t-shirts and sneakers and not worry about spilling on silk or stumbling in heels. 

Darcy planned to put the entire morning behind her, change into her work clothes and get up to the lab. For a moment she thought about running to the diner for cheeseburgers for lunch only to remember she couldn’t leave the building. While the press had thinned out, there were plenty of photographers outside the tower’s front doors just waiting to pounce. She didn’t think she was ready to deal with the inevitable scene it would cause if she suddenly made an appearance. Besides which, the take away from her meeting was that her current attire didn’t meet Cynthia’s minimum standards and she should avoid having her picture taken until she had new clothes. 

With an exhausted sigh, Darcy stepped off the elevator mentally cataloging what she could get done yet that afternoon when she heard a click of a camera shutter. Startled, she turned to the right to see a woman standing 10 feet away holding up a cell phone. 

“You’re her! I knew it. I knew I’d seen you. I told my friend, Irene, you lived here but she said pics or it didn’t happen. So I just had to come find you,” the woman chattered brightly, stepping forward holding out her phone. Pausing she smiled widely and said excitedly, “Oh Sorry! I’m Sandy. I live down on 43. I can’t believe I’m meeting thee Darcy Stark. Can I get a selfie with you?” 

“Oh. Um. Hi. I’m not – I mean my name is - I don’t – How did you get up here?” Darcy faltered, as she nervously stepped away from the elevator and edged backward toward her apartment.

“The stairs. The elevator won’t stop on this floor. But you can get in through the stairwell with your keycard,” Sandy explained happily.

“Oh,” Darcy said, taking another couple of steps backward.

“Ms. Lewis if you care to return to the elevator, I have notified security. They should be here momentarily,” Jarvis said. 

“Security? What do you need security for?” Sandy asked confused, “I just want a picture.” 

“Ah, yeah. Maybe some other time?” Darcy suggested uneasily, hesitantly standing still not sure what to do now that the woman was blocking the entrance to the elevator. 

“I just want a picture,” the woman insisted, moving forward. 

“Oh, um – ” Darcy began, stepping back another few feet, uncomfortably aware she probably wouldn’t make it to her apartment nor did she want the woman to know which one was hers. 

Just then the neighboring elevator door opened, revealing two security guards. They glanced between the two women and one moved toward Sandy saying, “Ma’am, you shouldn’t be on this floor.” 

The other security guard turned to Darcy asking, “Ms. Lewis are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she answered resigned.

“I just wanted a selfie,” Sandy explained apprehensively as she stepped backward.

“If you could come this way?” the security guard asked Sandy, gesturing to another elevator as its doors opened.

“Hey. I want a picture!” Sandy demanded, glaring at Darcy over the guard’s shoulder.

Darcy didn’t respond but as the security guard guided her into the other elevator she heard, “Hey, bitch. You think you’re too good for me? I just wanted your picture and you had to sic security on me. What the fuck?”

As the elevator doors closed Jarvis said, “Ms. Lewis I have notified sir, he has asked to meet you in the penthouse.”

“Thanks, Jarvis,” Darcy said unsteadily, leaning back against the elevator wall. The last thing she had expected was to be accosted in the tower at what was essentially her front door. Slouching further, she mentally winced reviewing the confrontation. She had to admit her first run-in with the public could have gone better. 

Despondently Darcy stepped off the elevator into the massive open entrance of the penthouse. She stood staring at the wall of windows feeling bereft of emotion. The meeting with PR followed quickly by the run-in with the resident left her shaken and oddly detached. She slowly stepped further into the room and sank into one of the room’s large couches. 

That’s where Tony found her minutes later when he arrived via the stairwell from his workshop. “Darcy? Are you ok? Jarvis told me. No one should have been able to get on to your floor.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she answered dispirited. 

“Jarvis, how did that happen?” Tony called out as he came to stand next to her adding, “I thought we had that floor locked down.” 

“I am sorry sir. There seems to be a misunderstanding. I am able to control who accesses the floor only via elevator. The emergency stairwells in the residential areas can be accessed by anyone with a residential keycard.”

“Well, that’s just great,” Tony said sarcastically. Turning to Darcy he decreed, “You’re going to have to move up here. The security is tighter.”

Darcy looked up at him dolefully and with a frown asked, “Is that really necessary?”

“Yes. It’s only a matter of time before someone else figures out where you live,” Tony said adamantly. 

When Darcy didn’t respond, Tony continued, heading over to the bar to get a couple of bottles of water, “The upper floor repairs are done so you and Jane can stay in the guest suites tonight. Maybe for a few days. Until we can get your new apartments set up. I’ll talk to Pepper about it. And –“

“It’s ok. You don’t have to do that,” Darcy said shaking her head in denial as she took the bottle of water Tony handed her.

“Darcy, people are going to ambush you in the hall. Anyone who lives here can access your floor,” Tony argued taking a seat next to her on the sofa. 

“It’s not that big a deal. Now that I know it can happen, I’ll just look out for it.” Darcy weakly protested.

“What? No. It is a big deal. It’s not safe and-” 

“Hey, Jarvis?” Darcy called out.

“Yes, Miss Lewis.”

“How did you know that lady was there? And why did you call security?” Darcy asked.

“The sensors in the elevator registered another’s presence in the hallway and it was only after your picture was taken and you seemed unwilling to interact with the resident that I recognized there was a problem. Please forgive me for not notifying security sooner. It is difficult to ascertain if there is an imminent security threat without direct access.”

“Jarvis, you have direct access,” Tony sputtered over his water bottle. 

“Currently, I do not have direct access to the residential hallways. My directives will allow me access to them in the future but that feature has not yet been implemented due to repairs occurring throughout the building.”

“What? Why didn’t you say something? I thought that floor was secure,” Tony protested.

“Ms. Lewis’ floor is as secure as I can make it with the features I currently have available. I thought you were aware of my limitations sir, as you scheduled the upgrades. Currently, I am only able to sense anyone within 15 feet of the elevator once the doors are open.” 

“There you go. Problem solved. Jarvis can keep an eye on things from the elevators. No need to move,” Darcy said satisfied.

“No. The problem is not solved. Anyone who lives here can still get onto your floor and Jarvis can’t see most of the hallway,” Tony protested.

“I’ll be fine. Jarvis will notify security when there is someone there who shouldn’t be. Right, Jarvis?” Darcy insisted.

“Indeed, I will Ms. Lewis,” Jarvis said agreeably.

“Darcy, you need to move before something happens,” Tony argued.

“Tony, nothing is going to happen. It was just one person. I doubt anyone else cares where I live,” Darcy reasoned. 

“It’s not going to be just one person. And trust me, lots of people care where you live,” Tony maintained. “Once word gets out it’s going to happen again, no matter how good Jarvis’ sensors are,” Tony contended. “Just move up here. It’ll be simpler. You’ll be closer to the labs. There’s a private elevator, better views. And the apartments are bigger too. You’ll love it.”

Exhausted Darcy laid her head back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. She didn’t want to fight with Tony. It had already been a long day and it was barely noon. She wasn’t even sure why she was arguing. She just felt worn out and stretched thin and not up to dealing with anything more. She had no goal in mind other than avoiding another stressful problem. “Tony. I don’t want to move. I really don’t think it’s going to be a problem. And I don’t need a bigger apartment,” Darcy insisted.

“Darcy-” 

“No. I’m sorry, but I’m not moving. Now, I need to change and get to work,” Darcy said resolutely as she sat forward.

“Darcy this isn’t going to go away. It’s not safe-” Tony began.

“Tony, I’m not going to stop living my life because someone might take my picture. And, I’m perfectly safe. I have the necklace you gave me. I have Jarvis and if I ever get to leave the building again I’ll have security. The tower is a fortress, you said so yourself. I’ll be fine,” Darcy asserted as she stood up and began walking toward the elevator.

“You’re not going to be fine. Not if the threat is coming from inside the tower. You need to move up here,” Tony maintained, adding, “Your floor will be a nightmare to secure.” 

“I’m not moving. But thank you - for offering. Now I have to get to work,” Darcy said turning back to look at him before stepping into the elevator. 

Tony let her go realizing it wasn’t an argument he was going to win right then. Slouching back against the couch and he called out worriedly, “J – is there anyone on Darcy’s floor right now?” 

“Not that I am aware of. I have taken the liberty of closing the third elevator to the public and have parked it on the 44th floor. I can tell you no one is within 15 feet of its entrance but beyond that, I cannot say.” 

“Great. Well, let me know if that changes. In the meantime, let Happy know what happened and see if he can come up with a temporary solution,” Tony said resigned as he stood up and headed toward the stairs to his workshop.


	14. One Size Does Not Fit All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shopping is supposed to be fun. Right? And there is tequila.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It can never be stressed enough how helpful thestancyg has been in helping me write this story. Thank you for beta reads and brainstorming!
> 
>  
> 
> Page 6 refers to the New York Post's well-known gossip page. https://pagesix.com/

“Have you seen this?” Cynthia demanded as she marched into the lab brandishing a tablet.

“Oh – um, hi. Seen what?” Darcy asked caught off guard.

“This! You had your picture taken yesterday. Why didn’t you say anything? We could have tried to get ahead of it. Now it’s out of our hands,” Cynthia complained frustrated, as she towered over Darcy’s desk.

“Uh, hello,” Jane interrupted, not liking the woman’s high handed behavior she stepped away from her desk and moving forward asked, “Who are you?” 

Cynthia stopped short, turning to Jane in surprise, obviously not expecting her. Looking down at her the blond said imperiously, “I am Cynthia Cartwright. I manage Ms. Stark’s image for Stark Industries and you are?”

“Dr. Jane Foster. Darcy’s boss and academic advisor,” Jane said, crossing her arms and taking a protective stance next to Darcy.

“I see. Well, I need to speak with Ms. Stark,” Cynthia haughtily stated.

“Last I checked Darcy’s last name was Lewis, not Stark. And, is this necessary? She’s working,” Jane said resolutely.

“Yes, this is necessary. We need to deal with this right now,” Cynthia declared. 

“The picture has been printed, the story written. I doubt there is anything Darcy can do now,” Jane said with an unconcerned shrug.

“There is plenty she can do,” the PR rep argued. “We need turn this story around. We don’t need her setting a poor precedent with the public.”

“Well, Darcy can’t do it right now. She’s working,” Jane said as if that was the last word on the topic. She glanced to the side, catching Darcy’s eye, clearly questioning if that was what she wanted.

Darcy, for her part, looked stricken. While she was grateful for Jane’s interference she had a feeling there was little Jane could say that would dissuade Cynthia. If the blond wanted Darcy to have her picture taken it was likely that was what she’d be doing by the end of the day. 

“Why didn’t you let this woman take your picture?” Cynthia asked Darcy, ignoring Jane. “We could have used the press. Now it sounds like you had security drag her from the building.”

“She lives here. Security just asked her to leave the floor,” Darcy protested annoyed. Adding defensively, “And she ambushed me when I was getting off the elevator. What was I supposed to do?” 

“Let her take your picture! You’re coming across as an arrogant brat,” Cynthia argued irritated that she had to explain something so obvious, adding indifferently, “But I suppose, if you want to make your mark as a Stark that is one way of going about it.”

“Hey!” Jane objected. “Darcy is not an arrogant brat -”

“We really need to get a handle on this,” Cynthia said urgently, once again ignoring Jane, adding in a put-upon tone, “If you can’t at the very least work with me on this, I don’t know how you expect me to fix your image. This really doesn’t look good for Stark Industries.”

“Darcy doesn’t work for Stark Industries and-” Jane began.

“Jane. Jane. I got this,” Darcy interrupted, gesturing to the scientist to stand down. “Thank you but- yeah. I’ll be back in a little bit ok? I’ll go talk to her and we’ll figure something out,” Darcy said, trying to reassure Jane, as she stepped away from her desk.

The blond turned on her heel and stalked out of the lab throwing a contemptuous glare at Jane as she left. Darcy trailed behind her clearly dreading the coming conversation. Darcy led the woman to a meeting room toward the back of the floor, hoping they could deal with the situation quickly. 

“You are going to need to be available to handle this sort of thing in the future. I can’t rebuild your image without some effort on your part,” Cynthia said, pulling out a chair and pushing the tablet toward Darcy. “As you can see, the woman who took your picture yesterday posted it on Twitter and told the whole world how you refused to take a selfie with her and called security to have her removed from the building. We need to turn this around now.”

Darcy glanced down at the article that included her picture from yesterday. It was a snapshot of her profile and it was obvious she wasn’t aware it was being taken. Apparently, the New York Daily News had picked up the woman’s tweet from yesterday and printed it along with an interview in the morning addition. Resigned, she looked at the PR rep and asked, “What am I supposed to do about this now?”

“Well, in the future if someone wants to take your picture – you let them. You smile and act like there is nothing else in the world you would rather do,” Cynthia said exasperatedly. “Now, you need to get changed. Go with the light blue suit. With the beige heels,” Cynthia suggested. “I think lunch and shopping should turn this around. I’ll come with you, of course.” Considering her plan she continued, “I’ll let a few photographers know where we’ll be so we can get some quality shots and they’ll take it from there. We’ll have a few selfies taken with sales girls and customers, of course. That should jump start Twitter and things should begin to swing back in the right direction.”  


“And you want to do this right now?” Darcy asked incredulously. 

“Of course,” Cynthia said exasperated. “When did you think we were going to do it?”

“I didn’t think this was going to happen so fast. I thought I would do an interview in a week or two. Maybe go out to lunch or shopping once or twice. And, that would be it,” Darcy said dismayed, taken back by the sudden change in expectations.

“What? When I told you yesterday you were going to need to make some appearances I meant weekly,” Cynthia said aggravated by Darcy’s misunderstanding. “I’m also looking into charities so you can get your foot in the door socially and attend some luncheons. But for now, lunches and shopping are all we have to work with.” Expanding on her plan she continued, “We’re just waiting for the next big fundraiser to make your official introduction into society. I should be able to schedule that in the next month or two. Of course, I’m still sorting through interview requests and we should begin preparing you for those as soon as possible.”

“Oh, I don’t know if I need to - ” Darcy began overwhelmed by the extent of the PR rep’s plans.

“So? Are you going to shower?” Cynthia asked, looking Darcy over. She added with a concerned frown, “You can’t go out with your hair like that. Whatever you do don’t put it up. We don’t need to remind anyone of those pictures from the other day. Wear it down, but curl it, we want you young and fresh.” With a disgruntled sigh, she continued, “We haven’t talked about makeup. For now use a soft palette, nothing too strong. I was going to make an appointment for a makeover but we don’t have time now. I’ll see what I can arrange for next week.” Taking the tablet back from Darcy Cynthia pulled up a page saying, “Now, I’ll make a reservation for lunch and have a car brought around. If we leave at 11:30 that will give you a little over two hours. I think that should be enough time to get you looking decent.”

“But – I need to talk to Jane. I can’t just leave work in the middle of the day,” Darcy argued helplessly.

Cynthia looked up at her saying sharply, “You need to decide what is important. We’ll have a hard time getting the press to like you if this is how you want to leave things.” As Darcy struggled to come up with a response she said condescendingly, “I thought you were a student. Don’t you make your own hours?”

“I – yeah. Ok. Let me talk to Jane. I can probably do this,” Darcy said uneasily. 

“Good. Now, I have a lot to do to get everything set up for you,” Cynthia said standing up and heading toward the door. Glancing back at Darcy she said, “I’ll meet you downstairs in the garage. We can avoid the front entrance for now. I think staged pictures are best until you have more experience.” With that, the blond stalked out of the room leaving Darcy feeling as if she had been outmaneuvered. She dreaded what she was going to tell Jane. 

 

Darcy called Jane after she got out of the shower. She had bypassed the lab, not ready to face her and hear firsthand what she thought of the day’s change of plans. “Jane, I’m going to have to skip work today. I think I need to do what Cynthia says right now. You don’t really need me anyway. You’re editing that article,” Darcy said as she combed out her hair.

“It was one picture. It can’t be that big of a deal,” Jane argued.

“I know. I don’t think so either but I think I better do this,” Darcy said resigned as she plugged in her curling iron and hairdryer. “Pepper wouldn’t have asked PR to help me if she didn’t want me to do what they say. It’ll just be for today,” she assured the scientist. 

“Well, ok. If you’re sure. I’ll be here. Let me know when you get home,” Jane said, patiently. 

Getting ready was a challenge but Darcy had some luck. The new light blue wool suit they had ordered came in petite so it fit perfectly. The outfit was unremarkable until in a fit of defiance Darcy put on an eye-popping red lipstick. Suddenly, the outfit came together and she felt a surge of confidence that had been missing the past few days. 

“What are you wearing?” Cynthia objected as soon as she saw Darcy.

“Uh, the blue suit you told me to wear?” Darcy responded, fully aware that was not what the blond was upset about.

With a barely concealed growl, Cynthia said, “You cannot be serious. That lipstick is completely wrong with that suit.”

“I think I look great. I agreed to wear what you told me to but I’m doing it my way and that includes wearing this lipstick,” Darcy said determined, skating past the angry blond and into the waiting town car. As Darcy settled smugly into the back seat she tried to steady her nerves and stop her pounding heart as she privately celebrated. She had stood up to Cynthia. Sure, it was just lipstick but it gave her a surge of shaky confidence that she needed.

“You look ridiculous. That red is too loud to go with that shade of blue. I told you to use a soft palette,” Cynthia complained as she climbed into the car.

“I did - baby doll pink and light blue. But, I disappeared with lip gloss and I only have dark lipsticks anyway. I think the red makes me pop,” Darcy replied, determined to stick to her guns, keenly aware she needed to win this battle if she had any hope of taking back some control.  


“Well, don’t blame me when the press says you look like a clown,” Cynthia griped. 

Darcy didn’t bother responding, instead mentally prayed that didn’t happen. The last thing she needed was Cynthia lording it over her that her makeup choices had set her up for more bad press. 

As expected her day out with Cynthia wasn’t a lot of fun. There were a few highlights. While nerve-wracking, the high-end restaurant’s atmosphere was intriguing. Darcy was surrounded by sophisticated people dressed at the height of fashion. While they were too well mannered to say anything Darcy was aware that her presence was marked by glances lasting just a bit too long. Much to her relief when Darcy caught the eye of someone they acknowledge her with a gracious nod of the head as if welcoming her into the fold. 

During lunch, while Cynthia went over shopping plans, Darcy tried to manage the blonde’s expectations. She had enough trouble shopping in regular stores Darcy couldn’t imagine she’d have better luck in stores offering clothes specifically designed for tall, willowy women. Of course, Cynthia brushed aside her concerns, certain she knew what she was doing. Darcy eventually gave up and braced herself for what she expected would be a long afternoon. 

The day passed in a haze of pictures, disappointment in the fitting room and whispered arguments. Photographers met them as they exited the restaurant and as they left each store. Cynthia relentlessly sacrificed Darcy to the paparazzi at every opportunity, whispering “smile” before pushing her forward to greet them. Darcy spent the day on edge, smiling brightly and following Cynthia’s lead. She posed for so many selfies her face actually began to ache and her lips began to stick to her teeth. She had never felt like such an airhead as she was forced to cheerfully declare that yes, she was Tony Stark’s daughter. And, yes, she was new to town. And yes, this designer was just fabulous. 

Cynthia actually attempted to make Darcy happy by taking her to Dolce & Gabanna as the designer was known for using bright colors. Unfortunately, the patterns were large and garish, which overwhelmed Darcy’s small frame. Finally, after a bitter battle over how she couldn’t leave the store without purchasing something, Darcy picked out a white leather shopping bag with a black and red print that cost $2,000. She could hardly hand over her credit card as she grappled with sticker shock. 

They had the same bad luck at Armani. Again Darcy was forced to purchase something so they could leave the store without being humiliated. Cynthia ended up choosing a simple black sheath dress when Darcy refused to pick something out. At $3,000 Darcy had to swallow hard when she considered how far that would go to cover her student loans. 

Regardless of how poorly the trip was going Cynthia insisted they keep shopping. They had better luck at Gucci of all places. Darcy found a simple bright pink sweater that she actually liked. While she gulped at the $1,500 price tag she was secretly pleased, as she had the perfect lipstick to go with it. However, once forced into the matching pink skirt and towering heels Darcy put her foot down. She looked like a pink blob on stilts as she was overwhelmed by the solid block of color. She stuck to her guns and refused to buy more than the sweater. As angry as Cynthia was Darcy counted it as a win even as she winced at the price tag.

Darcy was never more relieved when they returned to the town car to head back to the tower. She was horrified with how much she had spent and found herself plotting ways to return everything without Cynthia discovering. 

As she settled into her seat Cynthia said, “Well, this afternoon could have gone better. You obviously can’t shop off the rack. There must be someone who designs for – well - I guess you’re a robust petite. Though who it could be I don’t know. I might need to get a stylist in as you will definitely be a challenge to dress.”

Darcy ignored the blond but felt the sting of her not so subtle criticism. At least now that Cynthia had seen the difficulties Darcy faced shopping she was forced to reevaluate her expectations. It was a small comfort and relief to know Darcy would likely be spared Cynthia’s company shopping in the future. She didn’t want to spend another afternoon trying on dozens of outfits only to be met with cool disapproval when nothing fit. 

 

*********

 

Returning home to a thankfully empty hallway Darcy changed, put her hair up and called Jane. They commiserated over Darcy’s trying day and decided it was a good night to order pizza and open the bottle of tequila they had found packed in one of the boxes from New Mexico. Margaritas were just the thing to put the long day behind them.

“Jane, you should have seen her,” Darcy groaned, referring to Cynthia. “She loaded my dressing room with clothes that I tried to tell her wouldn’t fit. And, then she had a sales girl bring me different sizes. Even when I told her I didn’t need a different size, that everything was just too long and hit me wrong,” Darcy complained, clearly annoyed that the PR rep hadn’t listened to her, adding exasperated, “And after a while she got this pinched look, like I was doing it on purpose.”

“God, Darcy, you didn’t have to put up with that. You should’ve just left. What could she have done?” Jane asked, handing Darcy a fresh margarita. 

Taking a taste of her drink, Darcy shrugged, saying, “I don’t know. I didn’t think of it.” Lounging back into the couch she groused, “What really drives me crazy is what I had to buy. Like it’s a scandal to leave a store without buying something.” Taking a large sip from her drink she continued to rant, “I can’t believe I spent $2,000 on a bag. And that dress, I’ll never wear it. I tried to buy just a pair of sunglasses but that wasn’t good enough. She insisted I couldn’t leave without buying something.” 

Jane shook her head in sympathy before suggesting, “Why don’t you return everything? It’s not like you have to keep it.”

“Can you imagine? Cynthia would freak,” Darcy exclaimed with a laugh, obviously delighted by the idea as she sat up straighter, considering it as she tried to balance her tilting drink.

“No, seriously. If you don’t like it, return it,” Jane insisted, with an indifferent shrug. “If you take it back tomorrow, what can they do?” she asked.

“God, I can’t take it back,” Darcy said emphatically, but clearly intrigued by the idea. “They know who I am now. I’d probably end up in the gossip columns. Which would drive Cynthia round the bend. Page 6 would run a blind item; though they’d make sure it was obvious it was me,” Darcy said, with a snort, gulping down her margarita.

“I’ll return it. No one knows who I am,” Jane said unconcerned, nonchalantly sipping from her glass. 

“I can’t ask you to do that,” Darcy replied regretfully.

“Why not? I don’t care what anyone thinks. And, I can say I’m your personal assistant,” Jane said undisturbed, finishing off her drink. 

“Cynthia would be livid. And, you know she’d find out,” Darcy maintained adding in despair, “Then what will I do?”

“Buy something you actually like,” Jane advised, undaunted by the PR rep’s opinion. “You can still look nice without wearing designer labels. You could buy an entire wardrobe for a quarter of what you spent today,” she pointed out, getting up to top off their drinks.

“I know. I’ve never spent so much money in my life,” Darcy groaned horrified.

“Seriously, Darcy. Return everything you’ve bought so far,” Jane directed. “Then go buy something you actually like,” Jane said handing her a fresh drink, adding, “You bought that blue suit in petite and it fit. Maybe you need to get everything in petite. All my suits are. I didn’t have to have them altered at all.”

“Jane, you have like two suits,” Darcy said exasperatedly.

“Yes, but they fit! And I didn’t spend a fortune either,” Jane said with pride as she slouched back into the couch next to Darcy, carefully balancing her margarita. 

“I suppose I could go shopping on my own,” Darcy mused as she took a sip of her new drink, considering, she added, “It would be a lot less and I could actually pay Tony back.”

“And, you wouldn’t even have to go out. You could order online,” Jane contended before sitting up quickly saying excitedly, “Or wait - Hey Jarvis?”

“Yes, Dr. Foster?” Jarvis answered. 

“You can have clothes delivered can’t you?” she asked looking at the ceiling, the alcohol obviously beginning to affect her. 

“I can make arrangements for same day delivery if you purchase from local shops,” Jarvis said.

“From boutiques or like Macy’s?” Jane queried sipping her drink as she relaxed back into her place on the couch. 

“Whichever you prefer,” Jarvis said.

“Great! See Darcy. You pick out what you want tonight and you’ll have it by tomorrow,” Jane asserted, clearly excited by her discovery, nudging Darcy with her drink to be sure she was paying attention. She continued, asking, “Jarvis do you have a way of telling which shops carry petites and are reasonably priced?”

“Yes, I do. I can display them on your tablet,” Jarvis explained.

“I think you’re crazy and we both have had too much to drink. But what the hell,” Darcy declared amused, taking a gulp from her drink she leaned forward to pick up the tablet on the coffee table. Sitting back, distractedly holding her tilting glass she said, “Jarvis. Hit me. Where are we shopping?”

“I have reviewed area shops, factored in your measurements, stores’ potential inventory and their prices and I recommend you try Ann Taylor. They offer a wide variety of options in petite sizes as well as specific sizing charts that you might find helpful. In addition, Macy’s has a petite department that I think you might like,” Jarvis suggested.

“Ok, great! Come on Jane. This was your idea. Let’s do this,” Darcy said, holding the tablet out so Jane could see as well. 

As the night progressed, Jane and Darcy drank a few more margaritas and bought a variety of basics from Ann Taylor. At Macy’s, they found much more reasonably priced designers like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors. They picked out a few dresses, some jackets, and a trench coat for rainy weather. They eventually hit Macy’s shoe department and called it a night. Jarvis assured them their purchases would be delivered by the following afternoon.


	15. Rite of Passage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy learns some hard lessons. Tequila is evil. So are the paparazzi. Not to mention PR. But yelling is therapeutic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to thestancyg for beta reading, but more importantly for being so willing to brainstorm ideas. It's been invaluable. 
> 
>    
> This is the longest chapter yet!

Darcy woke to sun pouring in through her windows, causing her splitting headache to spike as the glare burned through her eyelids. Rolling over to avoid the bright light, her stomach protested and Darcy winced as she became fully aware of just how bad she felt. She knew better than to drink that much tequila but she and Jane had gotten on a roll shopping and one drink had led to another. She cringed wondering just how much money they had spent the previous night. The goal had been to save money by shopping elsewhere, but she had vague memories of designer labels being included in their shopping cart. But she couldn’t imagine they had spent more than she had the day before. At least she hoped not. 

With a groan, Darcy pulled herself out of bed and stumbled into the shower. Jane had the constitution of a horse and was probably already in the lab, with only the slightest headache. She never seemed to suffer the after-effects when they overindulged the way Darcy did. Jane gave Darcy a lot of leeway on nights they drank but she still expected Darcy to come in. So, Darcy twisted her wet hair into a clip, threw on her favorite comfy cotton pants and matching men’s pajama shirt, put on a pair of soft, beat up moccasins and headed out the door, knowing Jane wouldn’t begrudge Darcy comfortable clothes when she had a hangover. Grabbing a banana and praying Jane or Jarvis could find a way to have breakfast delivered to calm her rolling stomach she headed toward her front door. 

Darcy opened her apartment door, only to immediately close it, realizing she had forgotten her keycard. Of course, she couldn’t find it in the main room and had to hunt for it in her bedroom, finding it in the purse she had used the previous day. Having found the card she stepped out her front door, absently shutting it, only to be met with the flash of cameras and sound of snapping shutters. Taken by surprise Darcy bounced back into her closed door and then tripped forward into the hallway, stepping to the side to regain her balance, inadvertently turning toward a handful of men standing in a semi-circle before her. She froze, blinded by camera flashes, as the men spoke over one another saying, “Darcy when did you find out you were a Stark? Are you going to change your name? Darcy, look over here. How much money is Stark giving you? When did Tony find out about you? Why didn’t you live with him growing up? Darcy, over here. Smile for me. Is it true he didn’t want you? Why did Tony hide you? Darcy, are you going to get an Ironman suit? Do you have a boyfriend? Girlfriend? Where’s Tony? Darcy look right here.”

As the paparazzi converged around her, Darcy stumbled back, stunned. Camera shutters continued to whir and the glare of the flashes popped blinding her. Shaken, Darcy put up her hand that held her banana and turning her head away Darcy tried to block the glare of cameras. “Hey, hey. Stop. Give me a minute!” Darcy yelled, squinting, trying to see past the brightness of the cameras’ flash. 

The photographers paused, apparently taken back that she was speaking to them. One of them quickly asked, “How long have you lived in Stark Tower?”

Not seeing the harm in answering Darcy lowered her arm from her eyes and answered matter of fact, “3 weeks.”

Excited that Darcy was answering their questions the photographers rallied, impatiently speaking over one another as they took more pictures. 

Darcy, once again blinded, waved her banana in the air shouting, “Hey! Stop! If you want me to answer questions I need to be able to hear you.”

Again there was a surprised pause. Darcy evaluated the men gathered before her and pointed her banana at the one to her immediate right and said, “You. Go.”

“When did you find out Stark was your dad?” the man quickly asked.

“Next question,” Darcy said abruptly, ignoring their sudden protests. Pointing her banana at the next man she said, “You, go.” 

“Are you dating anyone right now?” the photographer asked, undaunted by Darcy’s decision to ignore his partner’s question.

“No. Next question,” Darcy said, pointing her banana at the man in the middle of the pack. 

“Is Tony making you an Iron Man suit?” the man asked.

“God, no. I’m claustrophobic. I can’t imagine getting into one of those things. Next question,” Darcy said pointing her banana at the next in line. 

“Why haven’t you given any interviews until now?” 

“Well, gee. Maybe because it’s only been like 3 days. And the only reason I’m talking to you is because you ambushed me outside my front door,” Darcy said sarcastically, adding, “Next question. It’s the last one gentlemen, so make it a good one.”

“Did Tony know about you when you were a kid? Was he hiding you? Why did he let social services take you?” the man holding a video camera asked.

“Simple answer. He didn’t know about me,” Darcy said with a nonchalant shrug. Adding, decisively, “Ok, we’re done. I have to get to work.”

With that Darcy saluted them with her banana, turned on her heel and marched over to the open elevator. The photographers followed her, their questions mixing with the din of camera shutters and flashes, which once again increased in pitch. Darcy stepped into the elevator and when they tried to follow she protested, “Ah-ah! Nope. We’re done here. The labs are private property. I think this hallway is too. You might want to leave before security gets here.” Stepping away from the door, Darcy glanced up to the corner of the elevator and called out, “Jarvis, you called security, right?”

“Indeed, I have Ms. Lewis. They will be here momentarily,” Jarvis replied. 

“Bye,” Darcy said waving her banana at the photographers as the doors slide slowly shut. 

As the elevator moved upward Darcy drooped in relief, stunned by what had just happened, flabbergasted by what she had done and questioning how she had had the audacity to do it. She couldn’t believe she had somehow managed to hold off the paparazzi. Feeling as if her entire body was trembling Darcy tried to get her barring as the last few minutes caught up with her.

As the elevator doors opened Darcy was met by Jane who anxiously looked her over saying “God, Darcy. Jarvis told me what happened. Are you alright?”

“Yeah. I’m fine,” Darcy said, shaking her head in denial, voice breaking at a high pitch, obviously overwhelmed. 

Jane appraised her for a second before saying, “No, you are not fine.”

“Yes, I am,” Darcy protested unsteadily, her hangover suddenly catching up with her on top of everything else.

“Come on. You’ll feel better after you have some coffee,” Jane replied, leading her out of the elevator and down the hall. 

Moments later Darcy found herself sitting at her desk, not sure how she had gotten there. Sound began to filter back in and she heard Jane say, “Jarvis where’s Tony? We need Tony.”

“I have notified sir and he is on his way,” Jarvis answered.

Distraught, Jane fidgeted in front of Darcy, throwing questions and demands at the AI, frantically trying to get a handle on the situation. Seeing Darcy shift in her chair Jane abruptly stopped and reaching out to her asked, “Are you ok? I think you’re in shock.”

Darcy looked at her vacantly for a moment and said, “Jane I-”

Just then Tony burst through the doors saying, “Where is she? Is she ok?” Skidding to a stop next to Jane he reached out, clasped Darcy by the shoulder and anxiously demanded, “Are you ok? Are you hurt? What happened?”

“No – Yes. I mean. Nothing happened. I’m - I’m fine,” Darcy insisted shakily. 

Tony looked her over frantically, as Jane stood off to the side, anxiously watching, both trying to reassure themselves Darcy was in one piece. “You don’t look fine,” Tony declared worriedly. “Jarvis get medical up here right now!”

“NO. No. Jarvis, don’t. I’m fine. I’m just-” Darcy objected flinching away, distressed.

“No, you’re not. You look pale. And clammy. Doesn’t she look clammy?” Tony asked, turning to Jane.

“He’s right, you do look sick,” Jane agreed apprehensively.

“I’m fine,” Darcy groaned. “I’m just hungover,” she cringed, carefully lowering her head to her hands.

“Oh, right,” Jane said, much calmer.

“What?” Tony asked surprised by the explanation, as he carefully let go of Darcy and stepped away.

“She’ll be ok. She’s always like this after drinking tequila,” Jane explained unconcerned.

“God, I’m going to be sick,” Darcy moaned.

Jane quickly grabbed a nearby trash can and placed it next to her knees saying, “It’s ok Darcy. Do whatever you need to, ok?”

Darcy whined, head in her hands as she leaned forward, her wet hair falling out of its hairclip. Jane carefully gathered the loose strands of hair and repined them saying, “Shhh. You’ll be ok. I’ll get you some water and we’ll get you something to eat, alright?”

“Oh, god. I don’t think I can eat anything right now,” Darcy groaned miserably.

Tony, unsure what to do, stood to the side as he watched Jane mother her. She poured a glass of water and gently pulled one of Darcy’s hands from her face and handed it to her. Darcy slowly sat up and took a sip, swallowing with a grimace. 

“Ok, so,” Tony said uncertainly, asking cautiously, “You’re going to be ok?” 

“Yeah. I’ll be fine,” Darcy reassured him listlessly. 

Stepping back, Tony reached over and pulled up a chair saying, “Ok. Well. If you’re up to it can you tell us what happened exactly? Jarvis just said there were photographers on your floor.”

Darcy smiled weakly. “Yeah, they sort of took me by surprise.”

Jane snorted quietly, not amused by the understatement as she stood with her arms crossed, hovering next to them.

“I walked out my door and there they were. Five guys with cameras,” Darcy explained in tired disbelief.

Tony shook his head saying vehemently, “You can’t go back. You can’t. Not after this. No way-”

“You’re right,” Darcy reluctantly agreed with an unhappy sigh.

“You can’t live like -,” Tony continued his rant, breaking off uncertainly at her easy acceptance. Shifting gears he said, “Oh. Well. Good. That’s settled.”

Darcy carefully drank her water and taking a shallow breath leaned back in her chair saying, “I think I’m going to be ok now. Sorry. I wasn’t sure there for a minute.”

“No. It’s ok. You’re fine,” Jane reassured her, still hovering. 

“So,” Darcy said with a small wry smile as she looked at Tony, “Looks like you were right.”

“Yeah,” Tony agreed halfheartedly, “The one time I wish I wasn’t.”

Darcy waved away his comment, saying, “No, You were right. I should have listened.”

Nodding unenthusiastically in agreement Tony called out, “Jarvis. How did they get in? And did security take care of them?”

“The photographers were registered guests of Sandy Summers, the resident from the 43rd floor that Ms. Lewis met the day before yesterday. Security has taken four photographers and one videographer into custody and have detained them on the security level. The police have been notified. The photographers are protesting they have done nothing wrong as Ms. Lewis is a public figure, with no expectation of privacy as she was outside of her home. Unfortunately, there is significant legal precedence to support their claim as Ms. Lewis was in a public area. You should know sir, the legal department has been notified and they are even now discussing the photographers’ legal standing. They acknowledge the challenge before them but are sure you would want to press charges for both civil trespass and the unauthorized entry onto Stark Industry property as well as sue them for the invasion of privacy.”

“Dammit, I had a feeling that would be the case,” Tony groused, adding, “Tell Hansen to do whatever they need to put the fear of God into these guys.”

“I will convey the message to Mr. Hansen,” Jarvis assured him.

“Jarvis, why didn’t you warn Darcy that they were there?” Jane asked perplexed. 

“I was unaware there was anyone present in the hallway as they were outside of my sensors’ range. It was not until Ms. Lewis entered the 15-foot radius of the elevator that I registered their presence. Once I understood what was occurring I secured Ms. Lewis and notified you, Sir and security.” 

“He did everything he could,” Darcy assured them. “This was my fault. I didn’t know they were there. Didn’t even look. I walked right into it,” Darcy explained contritely.

“You couldn’t have known,” Jane said.

“Yeah, I could of,” Darcy denied, adding, “Tony warned me.”

“Well, it can’t happen again. You’ll stay in one of the guest suites until your new apartment is ready,” Tony stated unequivocally.

“Yeah, ok,” Darcy acquiesced quietly, ready to concede her previous argument now that she had firsthand experience with what could go wrong.

“Darcy do you think you can eat anything? You might feel better,” Jane asked concerned.

“I don’t know. I guess I could try. It might help,” Darcy replied, doubtfully. 

“Oh hey, let me get my guy on it,” Tony said, sitting forward, glad to be able to offer some help. “Jarvis? Andre’s cooking today, right? Tell him we need a hangover breakfast for three as soon as possible.”

“God, Tony. I’d normally say that’s not necessary but right now I don’t care. I’m all for it,” Darcy said gratefully. 

“What’s the point of having a chef if you don’t use him? He comes in a couple times a week to make us dinner. This will give him something different to do,” Tony said, nonchalantly dismissing her thanks. 

Darcy gave him a weak smile and went back to sipping her water. She glanced between Tony and Jane and said with a sardonic smile, “This was not how I expected the morning to go.”

Jane let out a soft laugh, exasperatedly saying, “No really? You mean you didn’t plan on getting ambushed by the paparazzi with wet hair, and pajamas? I never would have guessed.”

“Oh god, Cynthia is going to kill me,” Darcy moaned pathetically, as the pictures’ impact suddenly dawned on her. 

“That witch? Don’t worry about her,” Jane grumbled, with a dismissive wave of her hand. 

“What witch?” Tony asked confused.

“Darcy’s PR person. She’s horrible,” Jane explained with a frown.

“What?” Tony repeated, taken back.

“The PR rep from Stark Industries,” Darcy clarified. “I wasn’t supposed to get my picture taken until I got some new clothes. That’s what Jane and I were doing last night,” she explained.

Jane perked up saying, “Yeah, it was fun. I think we started a new drinking game. Shopping with margaritas is the way to go.” Turning to Tony she elaborated, “We had a few drinks and bought Darcy clothes she could actually wear while she bitched about her first shopping trip to 5th Ave. Yesterday did not go well.”

“To say the least,” Darcy huffed. “And, now I look like absolute hell and got my picture taken and was snarky to the paparazzi. I am so dead.”

Tony laughed, asking incredulously, “You actually talked to them?”

“What was I supposed to do? Cynthia told me if anyone wanted to take my picture I was supposed to let them,” Darcy complained, adding with a melodramatic whine, “But they were so loud and their cameras practically blinded me. I felt like I had to talk to them out of self-defense – it got them to slow down taking pictures at least.” 

Tony continued to chuckle, tickled by Darcy’s antics, exclaimed, “I’m impressed. You talked to them? With a hangover?” 

“The pictures are going to be horrible. Look at me. I couldn’t look worse if I tried,” Darcy complained piteously. 

“Eh, don’t worry about it,” Tony said waving off her concern. “Hangover pictures are a rite of passage for a Stark. Bonus points for the pajamas!” Tony said snickering, highly amused. 

“Argh. Not so loud, my head is killing me,” Darcy whined, gently placing her hand to her forehead.

Tony continued to chuckle, “Yep, you’re a Stark. Do you want a Bloody Mary? The hair of the dog that bit you is always the best remedy for a hangover.”

“Oh god, no. No more alcohol,” Darcy groaned, shutting her eyes dramatically. “Usually I don’t feel this bad. I do not recommend getting ambushed by the paparazzi when you have a hangover.” She paused, swallowed carefully and taking a shallow breath said, “I’ll probably feel better once I eat something – I think.”

“Well fine,” Tony said more amused than disappointed she that hadn’t taken him up on his offer. Still entertained he consoled her saying, “Seriously, don’t worry about the pictures. Stark PR has dealt with worse than a few bad photos. I haven’t gone on a bender in a while. They’re probably bored. Have to keep them on their toes somehow.”

Darcy gave him a weak smile and said, “If you say so. Can you tell Cynthia that? Because I can guarantee you she is not going to think this is funny.”

“Eh. It’s what I pay her for. PR will fix it. It’s what they do,” Tony said, unconcerned. 

“Sir, Chef Andre says breakfast is served if you would care to come to the dining room. He has prepared omelets, toast, bacon and of course, coffee,” Jarvis said.

“Well? Shall we?” Tony asked standing up. Adding as he walked toward the door, “Don’t worry about anything, I’ll call Pepper and she’ll get someone on staff to move you. And she’ll get her designer in to work on your apartments. We’ll have you both moved up here in no time.”

As they slowly made their way to the elevators Darcy said, “We can pack our own apartments. It won’t take long, neither of us has much.”

“Only if you take security with you,” Tony insisted. “And, I have guys on staff that can carry your boxes.”

“That, I’ll say yes to.” Darcy readily agreed.

 

*******

 

After a brief nap on the lab’s couch, Darcy woke feeling a bit more human. Rising, she made some coffee and then leaning over Jane, she hugged her from behind saying, “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Jane patted her arm and said understandingly, “I’m just glad you’re ok. Do you feel better now that you’ve had a nap?”

“Yeah. I’m good. Food and sleep. That’s all I needed,” Darcy said stepping away with a tired yawn. Rallying she asked, “Now, what do you need me to do? Proof read that article from yesterday?”

“If you’re up to it,” Jane replied, paging through the papers on her desk looking for it.

The two had just settled in to work when Cynthia stormed through the lab door holding out a tablet. She marched up to Darcy’s desk and thrust the device in her face, snapping, “How could you let this happen? This is exactly the kind of thing I wanted to avoid.”

Knowing why the blond was upset, Darcy didn’t bother looking at the screen. “You told me if someone wanted to take my picture to let them. And, they had me trapped. What was I supposed to do? Run?” Darcy asked incredulously, feeling attacked.

“First of all, you shouldn’t have gone out looking like that. Pajamas? With wet hair? In public? What were you thinking?” Cynthia asked indignantly. 

“I was thinking I needed to get to work and no one here cares what I look like. Besides, I wasn’t in public,” Darcy contended. 

“Yes, you were,” the blond disputed. “Anytime you leave your apartment you are in public. I didn’t think I’d need to explain that,” she added reproachfully.

“Well, it won’t happen again because I’m moving to a floor with better security,” Darcy said with a nonchalant shrug.

“Good. That’s a start. Now, we need to fix this. Your pictures from yesterday were doing so well, too. Even with that horrid lipstick. You were lucky. It is being hailed as fresh and innovative and described as a youthful indulgence,” Cynthia said disgruntled. 

“Hey! Cool,” Darcy said with a grin, delighted to hear her red lipstick had been well received and that it annoyed Cynthia. 

Cynthia glared at her, not amused by Darcy’s enthusiastic response, even if her makeup choices might actually be trendsetting. Exasperated she asked, “Can we get back to the problem please?” 

“It wasn’t like I did this on purpose. They weren’t supposed to be there,” Darcy replied irritably, not appreciating Cynthia blaming her for something that was out of her control.

“This is why you dress appropriately at all times. There will always be someone there. You need to be prepared for that,” Cynthia remonstrated. “And why did you talk to them? I thought you understood we were waiting to do an interview before saying anything to the public,” she groused. 

“It wasn’t like I said much. They asked 6 questions. I answered 5. What could they possibly do with that?” Darcy asked feeling unjustifiably attacked, as she thought she had handled the situation well. 

“Well, you’ve refueled speculation about when you and Mr. Stark learned of your relationship,” the blonde explained vexed. “Not that it will ever go away, but now the press will be asking for a statement again, which I’m assuming neither of you wants to make?” Cynthia predicted unhappily. 

“It’s no one’s business!” Darcy heatedly objected. 

“Well, the public want to know. This is why I wanted you to do an interview so we could direct the conversation and have you answer the questions we prepared you for,” Cynthia whined.

“Well, it’s too late now,” Darcy said groused. 

“No. I’ll try to line up an interview for next week. Tomorrow we need to start prepping you for questions since you’re already showing a penchant for answering off the cuff. Though I suppose that is to be expected; you are a Stark,” Cynthia said distractedly, hunched over her tablet, swiping through pages. “As horrible as you look in these pictures there is one small saving grace. Apparently, people think your act with the banana was cute. You come across as playful in the video. I guess that is something at least. Even if you do look horrid,” Cynthia said grumbled.

“Hey, Jane did you hear that? I’m cute! People like me!” Darcy exclaimed with false bravado, knowing full well it would further annoy Cynthia.

Cynthia glanced at her reproachfully, clearly not amused. Aggravated she said, “We’re not going to get more done today. I don’t dare tempt fate and take you out for dinner and drinks. Tomorrow though, we need you to make an appearance.” Taking a moment she considered her options before saying, “It needs to be casual. Something that appears unplanned. Going out for coffee is all we really can do at this point. I’ll line up security. And for god sake wear something appropriate.”

“Oh yeah, about that. I went shopping last night. You don’t have to take me anymore,” Darcy said nonchalantly.

“Excuse me? You did what?” Cynthia said looking up from her tablet, aghast. 

“Yeah, you said I should try petites so I found some things at Macy’s and Ann Taylor. So, you don’t need to worry about it anymore,” Darcy calmly explained. 

“Please tell me what you bought was appropriate,” the blond pleaded.

“I don’t know. I think so,” Darcy said with an unconcerned shrug. “We got a bunch of basics and another suit. And some shoes and dresses. I should be all set,” Darcy said with a confident nod. 

“I wish you would have waited for me assist you. I’ll need to know what you’ve bought in order to plan for your interviews and appearances,” Cynthia fretted. 

“Well, it’s done. I’m not going shopping again,” Darcy said definitively, adding as an afterthought, “Oh, and I sent back everything we bought, except the blue suit and the beige heels.”

“What?” Cynthia asked appalled.

“It was all too expensive and most of it didn’t fit,” Darcy elaborated indifferently. 

“You returned that dress from Armani, and – and – everything else?” Cynthia asked in alarm. 

“Yeah. The dress didn’t fit. And, as much as I liked that pink sweater it wasn’t worth $1,500. Besides most of the stuff, we ordered from Saks didn’t fit right anyway. That’s why I went shopping last night,” Darcy clarified. 

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Cynthia gasped scandalized.

“Saved $7,000?” Darcy ventured, not really sure why the blond was getting so worked up as she seemed more upset than Darcy had predicted.

“How could you be so stupid?” the blond blurted out in dismay.

“Hey!” Jane exclaimed, having had enough of the conversation she had gotten up from her desk and moved to stand protectively next to Darcy.

Cynthia turned to Jane, startled by the interruption, still coming to terms with what Darcy had just revealed. 

Jane stood with her arms crossed and glared up at the overbearing blond, saying forcefully, “She’s not stupid. It makes no sense to keep something that doesn’t fit or that she won’t use. Now she’s done what you wanted and bought some clothes. What more do you want?” 

“I don’t think either of you understands how these things work. Word will get out. I was worried she’d be on Page 6 for these horrible pictures. Now I know you will be for this. You’re going to be crucified,” Cynthia decried. 

“How is that any different from what they’ve been saying for the last 4 days?” Jane asked incensed.

“The news report was already dying down and people were responding well to the pictures from yesterday. But, designers don’t take kindly to anyone of your stature making returns. It’s an insult. You’re too new to the scene. When this gets out the press will have a field day,” Cynthia explained infuriated. 

“It can’t be that big of a deal. People return things all the time,” Jane objected. “Besides, Tony said PR is supposed to take care of stuff like this. So there are a few bad pictures and some gossip. Isn’t that what you’re paid to handle?” Jane questioned crossly.

Cynthia gaped at Jane for a moment before pulling herself up to her towering height and saying imperiously, “Yes, this is exactly the type of problem we handle. And, that is what I’m trying to do. But this is a disaster.” Turning back to Darcy she urgently explained, “This isn’t just a few bad pictures on the internet. The video might be cute for the moment but the stills are horrible. Combine them with the returns and you’ll be branded an uncouth brat who doesn’t know her place.”

“What is my place?” Darcy burst out scornfully, gesturing broadly, finally having enough of Cynthia’s over the top reaction to her decision to return some clothes. “I’m a student and engineer. What else am I supposed to be? I’m not some debutant no matter how you dress me!” she declared angrily. 

“There is a certain social standing associated with being a Stark and I’m trying to help you graciously step into it,” Cynthia said impassioned. “But you’re making that impossible. It’s only been 4 days, why can’t you behave?” the blond wailed.

Darcy jumped to her feet, put her hands on her hips and glaring at the blond said furiously, “Hey. It’s not like this is easy. It’s not like I’ve done anything on purpose. Things happen.” Attempting to reign in her anger she added, “Now, I understand you have a job to do and I am more than willing to work with you. And, I’ll probably do everything you tell me to do – within reason. But I’m not changing. You can’t make me. So you’re going to have to find a way to work with me!”

Cynthia stood gaping at Darcy, astounded at her sudden fury. She took a moment to compose herself obviously making an effort to bring her emotions under control before saying evenly, “In order for us to work together you need to be aware that what you do has consequences. Consequences you might not like and that I can’t just make go away.” Pausing she appraised Darcy and said earnestly, “What you do now, at this juncture, is critical for your entry into your new position in life. I’m trying to help you do that.”

“Well great. Like I said, I’ll try to do what you tell me to do but you can’t expect me to be perfect. I’m not some wind-up doll or a Barbie for you to play with,” Darcy proclaimed.

Clearly still stunned by Darcy’s unexpected outburst Cynthia took a breath and as calmly as possible said, “Alright. We each have concerns. But, I think we understand one another. I’ll see you in my office tomorrow at ten. Please wear something casual but put together. If you have questions please call me, I’m in at 8.”

Darcy stared at the blond for a moment, unsure how to respond, depleted now that she had finished her tirade. Finally, she agreed resentfully, “Yeah, ok. I’ll be there.” 

With a nod of acknowledgment, Cynthia spun on her heels and marched out of the lab, with a pinched, resolute look upon her face.

As the lab doors swung shut behind the blond Darcy and Jane turned to stare at one another in awe, for the moment speechless. “Wow,” Jane exclaimed in admiration, breaking the silence. “Go, Darcy! Did you see the look on her face when you started yelling?” 

“I can’t believe I just did that,” Darcy said, suddenly weak from her emotional release. 

“You did great,” Jane said adamantly.

Laughing with overwhelming relief Darcy asked with a bit of apprehension, “You don’t think I was too harsh?” 

“What? God, no. You said exactly what you needed to say,” Jane protested emphatically.

”I guess. I still can’t believe I yelled at her,” Darcy mused in amazement, adding indignantly, “But she made it sound like I was doing all this on purpose. Like I was the one being unreasonable!”

“Hey. You don’t have to convince me,” Jane said with a derisive snort adding, “If it were me I would have started yelling a lot sooner. You’ve been the epitome of restraint.” 

“I just couldn’t take it anymore. You know?” Darcy explained irately, still aggravated as she reflected on how Cynthia had been treating her. 

“Darcy, considering everything that has happened in last 4 days I think you’re handling it pretty well. Give yourself a break,” Jane advised affectionately. 

“Five days ago, I never could have imagined any of this,” Darcy said with a short exhausted laugh. Continuing she said in tired exasperation, “It really has been a lot.” 

“Exactly! I’m proud of you. You needed to do that,” Jane declared.

“I guess I did. I do feel better,” Darcy agreed satisfied, adding still peeved, “She just has a way of getting under my skin you know?”

“Yes. And, I’ve barely had to deal with her. I don’t know how you’ve done it,” Jane said with approval.

“Eh. She’s not really that bad. Well. Maybe she is, but I think she really is trying to do her job,” Darcy allowed as she mentally reviewed the last couple of days with Cynthia.

“Don’t make excuses for her. She’s been horrible and you know it,” Jane insisted before asking, “Now what are you going to do about tomorrow? Do you really want to go get coffee with her?”

“I don’t think I really have much of a choice,” Darcy said with a shrug. Inspired she grinned at Jane and asked optimistically, “Unless you want to come with me?”

“Ha. Are you kidding?” Jane laughed incredulously. “Cynthia would never let us go. I don’t have anything to wear she’d approve of anyway,” Jane said unapologetically. 

“Hey, you could always borrow something of mine. I’m sure something we just bought would fit,” Darcy suggested playfully, still holding out hope she could convince Jane to go with her. 

“Well, it’s a mote point because I’m not going. I have no desire to have my picture taken,” Jane asserted as she went back to her desk.

“Neither do I, but I’m going. Come on, haven’t you ever heard the old adage - misery loves company?” Darcy wheedled hopefully following along behind her. 

“I have, but I don’t think it works that way. I’m not miserable,” Jane asserted with an amused smile, settling in her chair. “And you don’t have to be either. If you don’t want to go - don’t,” she counseled, adding earnestly, “Seriously, Darcy. You don’t have to do anything but finish your masters and come to work. That’s it. Everything else is superfluous.” 

“I know, but I think I need to do what Cynthia says for now. Within reason, at least. Pepper wouldn’t have asked PR to come to talk to me if she didn’t want me to listen to them,” Darcy said resigned to play along with the PR rep for now. 

“I guess. But you can always put on the brakes. If it gets to be too much I think you should talk to Tony. He’ll understand,” Jane urged, trying to reassure her. 

“True. I know he’d have my back,” Darcy conceded, adding thoughtfully, “But for now, I think, or I hope, things will be ok.” 

“Alright, but Darcy if it gets to be too much you need to do more than just yell at Cynthia,” Jane said repeating her concern. 

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll talk to you and Tony. Ok?” Darcy said with an indulgent, appreciative smile.


	16. Coffee - Mana From the Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy learns about the exorbitant price of a cup of coffee, her future lack of privacy and then bonds with dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to thestancyg for always having time to brainstorm and help me plot. Your help has been invaluable.

Even with a living room a drift with shoe boxes and discarded apparel, Darcy still couldn’t figure out what to wear to go for coffee. Normally she’d throw on a pair of jeans and a sweater and be ready for the day. Now she was faced with too many choices and she had the distinct feeling a lot more was riding on her clothing choices than she probably understood or was comfortable with. Frustrated and unwilling to admit to feeling a little intimidated by what she expected the morning would bring, Darcy fell back on her favorite jeans convincing herself she didn’t care if they didn’t meet Cynthia’s definition of casual. Pairing them with a new silk shell and a black draped jacket she added a new pair of tooled black ankle boots and called it good. Grabbing her red lipstick and clasping her red ruby pendant around her neck she headed for the marketing department, not sure if she cared all that much if Cynthia approved. 

“Good morning,” Cynthia said in greeting, glancing up at Darcy as she worked on a tablet at her desk. Looking Darcy over critically she commented, “So I take it you plan to wear that lipstick often?”

“Well, yeah. I always wore it before why would I stop now?” Darcy asked bristling at the not so subtle criticism.

“It’s fine. You look, well, you look put together,” Cynthia offered awkwardly, clearly swallowing her opinion. “Your necklace is very nice. I noticed you usually wear it, does it have sentimental value?” she asked curiously. 

“Oh, uh. Tony gave it to me. So, sort of?” Darcy responded unsure how to answer as she hadn’t given the pendant much thought but realized she needed an explanation for wearing it all the time. 

“I see. Well, I planned for us to walk to the Starbucks one block over. Security should be here shortly,” Cynthia said, going back to the tablet she was reading.

“I usually go to Gregory’s, their coffee’s great. It’s a local roaster. They’re 1 block over and 2 blocks up on 46th,” Darcy responded, making a conscious effort to not be confrontational but still state her desire to go to her regular coffee shop. 

Cynthia looked up from her tablet, her face shifting through a kaleidoscope of emotions before settling on resigned, saying aggrieved, “Of course, you don’t want to go to Starbucks.” Adding tetchily, “I wish I had known. I already told security where we were going. For future reference, they like to evaluate locations beforehand. I’m sure they can manage a new location today but they prefer notice, whenever possible.”

“I would have told you if you’d asked. I always go to Gregory’s,” Darcy complained, still relieved she didn’t have to have an argument just to go out for coffee. 

“It’s fine. I’m sure we’ll manage,” Cynthia said mildly miffed. 

A tense silence descended between them. Darcy walked over to the floor to ceiling windows to take in the view, not sure what to say to Cynthia. An uneasy truce hovered barely intact between them. Darcy’s anger from the previous day lingered and resentment simmered just beneath her polite façade. She was willing to give their ceasefire a chance if Cynthia did, although at the moment Darcy thought the blond could try harder. 

Cynthia broke the silence by asking, “Are those new boots? They have a good size heel, it will help your legs look longer.”

“Oh, uh yeah. I bought them because they look cool. I always wanted tooled boots, you know?” Darcy said awkwardly looking down at her feet, turning one of them to the side to inspect the design layered across the toe.

“Well, they add personality to your outfit,” Cynthia observed uncomfortably. “Did you enjoy shopping for them? Sometimes it’s more enjoyable to relax and shop from home,” she said brightly, apparently trying to make small talk. 

“Um, yeah. Actually, Jane and I made margaritas and bought them the night I got back from shopping with you. It was great,” Darcy offered, interpreting the blonde’s efforts at conversation as an attempt to extend an olive branch. 

Just then security arrived interrupting their fledgling détente. The two serious men in dark suits briefly consulted with Cynthia and accepted the change in venue with only slight frowns. After advising Darcy to stay close and to ignore the paparazzi the men guided them out of the building. As they approached the barricade along the sidewalk Darcy took a steadying breath as Cynthia said, “You’ll be fine. Just look straight ahead and ignore whatever they say. Security will make sure they don’t get too close.”

Darcy nodded stoically, and as camera shutters began to snap a roar of voices went up as photographers began to shout questions. As they walked the noise surrounding her blurred into white noise and Darcy’s vision narrow down to the guard in front of her and the other walking at her side, keeping the photographers at bay. They traversed the city crowds while the paparazzi ran ahead, continuing to bombard her with questions and take pictures. The guards cleared the walks with their very balk, allowing Darcy to easily follow in their wake. Numb, Darcy found herself holding her breath and periodically gasping for air while the three block walk went by in a blur. 

It was a bright sharp scent of freshly roasted coffee wafting out on to the pavement that alerted Darcy that they had arrived. With a sense of relief, she entered the quaint shop, glad to escape the sidewalk full of photographers. She paused briefly just to the right of the entrance, unsure if she should proceed without her guards’ permission. Receiving a subtle nod from one of the men Darcy got in line to order her usual cinnamon latte. Trying to shake the disquiet she felt from their short walk she glanced around and took comfort from the familiarity with the coffee shop. However, it was tainted slightly as she was keenly aware of her security detail taking up positions in the front and back of the store. It nagged at Darcy, all the hoopla involved just so she could get some coffee. It seemed exorbitant yet she knew now, having a few experiences with the paparazzi, that without security she wouldn’t have gotten past the tower’s plaza. 

After taking a seat toward the back of the restaurant Darcy glanced toward the entrance where photographers were congregating and said pensively, “I guess they’re staying until we leave.” While Darcy had made it through their short journey unscathed, she was still slightly shaken by the experience and was hoping to have a break from their relentless scrutiny.

“Yes. You’ll find that to be the case for some time I think. A good picture of you can earn them quite the paycheck,” Cynthia explained nonchalantly as she took her seat. 

“What?” Darcy sputtered over her latte in surprise, taking a quick glance to the front of the shop to as if to reassure herself the photographers remained outside. 

“Oh, yes. Yesterday’s pictures had to have easily sold for thousands of dollars,” Cynthia said haughtily as if she was sharing information Darcy should already be aware of.

“You’re kidding me,” Darcy said surprised, not having considered just why photographers were so intent on taking her picture. 

“No. I’m not. That’s why they’re stalking you. One good picture of you could earn them easily a thousand dollars. Particularly, if no one else can get the shot. Yesterday was a banner day for some of them,” Cynthia said with an annoyed frown. “Now that they have managed to get access they will continue to stalk you to try to get another picture worth that much. That’s part of the reason we’re here, to get some new pictures and story into circulation,” she explained, with a tone conveying she thought this information should be obvious. 

“Wow. Ok. I always wondered why the paparazzi were so intense. But, yeah. That kind of money would do it,” Darcy said incredulously, trying to ignore Cynthia’s attitude. Returning to her latte Darcy struggled to maintain her neutral façade and not get sucked into another confrontation with the blond.

“Yes, it would. I don’t think you realize just how much you’re worth,” Cynthia observed, not so subtly evaluating Darcy.

Just then a young woman approached them saying shyly, “Hi. I don’t mean to disturb you but could I get a picture? I’m a big fan of Iron Man and would love to get a picture with you.”

“Oh sure,” Darcy said with a friendly smile. Before she could move the woman leaned forward and draped her arm around Darcy’s shoulders and held out her phone to snap a picture. From the previous day’s experience, Darcy tried to not to respond to the sudden intrusion into her personal space but instead stayed relaxed and smiled as brightly as possible. Photo finished, the young woman gushed, “Thank you so much. I can’t believe I’m meeting you. I don’t usually come in for coffee this late. It must be my lucky day.”

“Must be!” Darcy agreed readily, trying to keep things light but short. 

“Well, I should let you be. Tell your dad I’m a big fan! Thanks again,” the woman said with a wide smile, backing away.

After the young woman’s departure, Darcy needed a moment to shake off the disquiet of the unexpected interruption caused. Taking a sip of her latte, Darcy shifted uneasily in her chair and tried to center herself. Feeling watched she glanced up to find Cynthia starring at her with a calculating expression. “What?” Darcy blurted out defensively, sure the woman disapproved of something, though what, she couldn’t begin to guess.

“You handled that well. You have a gift for putting people at ease. That talent will take you far,” Cynthia said unexpectedly.

“Oh,” Darcy said surprised that she wasn’t being criticized, but instead, complemented. “I guess I just wanted her to be ok. You know? Happy and ok with meeting me. Keep things friendly.”

“Those are good instincts. People respond well to friendly,” Cynthia said, taking a sip of her coffee, continuing to assess Darcy.

“I guess. How else do you do meet people?” Darcy questioned somewhat puzzled.

“You’d be surprised. Some don’t like to be interrupted or have their privacy violated. Others are nervous or shy and people pick up on that and might label them arrogant and unapproachable. You don’t have that problem. As long as you smile the way you do, it will take you far,” Cynthia candidly observed.

“Oh. Um, thanks?” Darcy said surprised, unsure how to respond to Cynthia’s positive evaluation.

The PR rep scrutinized Darcy for a long moment before sitting forward with her arms folded to lean on the table saying, “I think we need to talk.” 

Taken by surprise, Darcy stopped sipping her drink and said, “Um, Ok?”

“We have obviously gotten off on the wrong foot,” Cynthia began, adding in a consolatory tone, “I want you to understand I am only concerned with what is best for you, but the distractions these past few days have not been helpful if we want to build a solid, stable image for you.”

“Ok,” Darcy said sharply, the previous day’s anger bubbling to the surface as she reacted to the blonde’s not so subtle allegations. She sat forward and keeping her voice low said accusatorily, “I think the first problem we have is you seem to have this image of me that isn’t real. I’m not a plastic person for you to mold into whatever you think I should be. Whatever image you are trying to build isn’t who I am. I don’t wear designer clothes and I think you know why after our shopping trip. And I -”

“I was only trying to dress you as young women of your status dress,” Cynthia interrupted, defensively. 

“Yeah, but that’s the thing. You seem to have a different idea about what my status is than I do,” Darcy objected sharply. “My status? I’m a broke college student. Just because Tony is my father doesn’t change that. I am an engineering student and an intern for a world-renowned astrophysicist. None of that has changed,” Darcy said defiantly. 

“And you can continue to be all those things. But now you need to be something more. Being Tony Stark’s daughter carries with it certain expectations and I’m here to help you meet them,” Cynthia said, definitively. 

“Ok, see. Who’s expectations?” Darcy asked heatedly. 

“Well, the public, in general, will have many. But you can meet most of them if you abide by the general rules of society. You seem to struggle with the basic concepts of personal appearance and proper behavior,” the blond said glibly. 

“Hey. My appearance is fine. I don’t need to wear designer clothes to be presentable,” Darcy protested, insulted.

“That wasn’t what I referring to but alright. If that’s how you feel. Dually noted. We can revisit your particular style at a later time,” the blonde said, brushing Darcy’s complaint aside, adding in an aggrieved tone, “But your behavior leaves much to be desired.”

“My behavior?” Darcy squawked out indignantly, putting her drink down sharply. “I’ve been nothing but nice. I’ve done everything you’ve asked me too, with a smile on my face. The only thing I’m guilty of is being taken by surprise at my front door by people with cameras,” she protested, adding irately, “I’ve been working with you for three days, counting today and this is only day five in the Tony Stark is my dad saga. You can’t expect me to know how to handle everything right off the bat.” 

“I see,” Cynthia said curtly, adding with a measure of understanding, “While I agree this has been a very short time frame for you to adjust to your new circumstances, the public’s expectations wait for no one. The way you present yourself now will forever influence how others see you.” Stressing reproachfully she said, “My job is to make sure you don’t make any unfortunate mistakes you’ll regret later. But you are making that difficult.” 

“A few bad pictures should not make that much of a difference,” Darcy said, and when she saw Cynthia was about to speak she continued forcefully, “AND, returning clothes to a store should not be that big of a deal. I don’t plan on shopping at any of those stores again. So, my reputation takes a hit with some designers,” she said derisively with a careless shrug. “Who cares? I don’t. I am positive Tony won’t. I’m fairly certain Stark Industries doesn’t do business with them. So it shouldn’t matter,” Darcy said adamantly, as she picked up her latte to take a drink. Agitated, she covertly tried to breathe deeply to slow her beating heart and stop herself from getting too worked up. 

“You’re right,” Cynthia conceded, adding, “The pictures will eventually be replaced by others. That is what today is about, but you should know they will always be there.” Cynthia continued authoritatively, “You need to realize that if there is anything you don’t want the public to know or see, you need to protect it because anything you do in public will be recorded for prosperity. You’ll never escape it.” The blond took a sip of her coffee and then slowly put her drink on the table as she critically evaluated Darcy. Crossing her arms she continued earnestly, “The bigger problem you face are the returns. They might seem like a small nonsense to you but they will, not can, but will put a blemish on your reputation. If you don’t care, that is fine.” With a resigned shrug, she added, “We’ll ignore it and hope that since you’re young and inexperienced you will be forgiven for faux paus’ by those who do care. But you should know those of certain status, which you are now a part of - willing or not -, will remember. They might forgive, but they will not forget, particularly when you continue to draw attention to yourself by having pictures taken in unfortunate situations.”

“So, some people I don’t know, or care about are going to say mean things about me?” Darcy asked with a sarcastically, clearly irritated and not at all concerned. 

Cynthia sighed deeply and said aggrieved dejected tone, “Yes, in the simplest terms, yes.” 

“Ok. You obviously think that is a problem. I don’t,” Darcy stated unequivocally. 

“Very well. That is your prerogative,” Cynthia allowed indifferently. “I, however, need to take these things into consideration to do my job. You might not want to hear about it, but there are real consequences you need to be aware of,” the blond assured her.

“Fine. I’m aware. But you need to let me be me,” Darcy insisted defiantly. 

“But you need to realize that you, as you are, will impact Stark Industries, whether you intend to or not,” Cynthia stated confidently. “That, at the end of the day, is my only concern. I look out for your concerns because what is best for you, will, in turn, be the best of the company. But it comes down to you. You need to decide what is important,” the woman asserted. She starred at Darcy for a long moment, assessing whether her message had been conveyed before slowly sitting back and drinking deeply from her now cooling coffee, obviously having said her piece. 

Darcy didn’t have a response. While she felt like she had said everything she needed to, she didn’t necessarily feel heard. Instead, she felt was like a rebellious child who had been scolded for misbehaving. She had some disparaging thoughts about Cynthia and everything she had to say but with effort, Darcy kept them to herself. It was the reminder of Stark Industries that made her pause. That’s what it came down to. She was working with the PR rep because Pepper had asked her to. Darcy was starting to think Jane might be right and that she needed to talk to Tony. She didn’t seem to be getting anywhere with Cynthia and she was certain they hadn’t actually come to any workable understanding even if they had laid all their cards on the table. 

Sitting back Darcy took a sip of her cooling latte and with a grimace set it aside. She glanced around the shop and after a long moment of silence said, “If we’re done here, I need to get Jane and Tony some coffee before we go.”

“What?” Cynthia asked, taken by surprise, hurrying to add, “No. I don’t think that’s a good idea.” 

“What? Why not?” Darcy asked confused, pausing as she was about to stand.

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be carrying things you could drop and do you really think it is your place to bring them coffee?” Cynthia questioned disparagingly. 

“My place?” Darcy hissed angrily. “I’ve picked up coffee for them every day for nearly 2 weeks and I’ve been making Jane’s for over a year. Why would I stop now?”

“Oh well, it’s up to you. I just thought you were past all that now,” the blond said indifferently.

“Getting coffee for your friends is not something you get past. It’s something you do to be nice, because you want them to have something they’ll enjoy,” Darcy declared, wondering why something so simple needed to be explained, agitated that Cynthia was once again condemning her for something that seemed harmless and was also an essential part of who she was. 

“I see. Alright. If you insist. By all means, get them coffee,” Cynthia said dismissively. “You’ll need to be careful carrying it. We don’t need a repeat of the other day when you threw coffee at photographers,” she advised with mild disdain.

“Hey. I didn’t throw that coffee,” Darcy insisted, adding indignantly, “They knocked it out of my hands. They had me completely surrounded. It was a nightmare.”

“I see. I wasn’t aware it was so traumatic. Although from the pictures it does appear as if you threw the coffee,” Cynthia pointed out, tetchily. 

“Why would I throw coffee? The coffee from here is liquid gold. You don’t just throw it,” she asserted definitively. 

“Fine. Well, do you want to buy it so we can go?” Cynthia asked her patience wearing thin. 

“Yeah, I’ll be right back,” Darcy said sulkily, still feeling unfairly criticized.

While in line, Darcy took three more selfies and a couple of customers followed her back to the table, now that the shop had been alerted to her presence. While Cynthia finished off her coffee Darcy smiled and spoke with the small crowd. Eventually, they dispersed and Darcy, relieved at having discharged her new duties, turned to Cynthia saying, “We need to get going before this coffee gets cold.”

“Of course,” Cynthia responded with an agreeable nod. Signaling security they made their way to the door to be met by the paparazzi, who jumped to attention at their approach. This time Darcy was more cognizant of what was going on around her and heard the questions being yelled as she passed. There were a few questions that caught Darcy’s ear and she responded loudly to one particular repeated question, yelling out exasperated, “It’s just coffee. It’s for my boss and Tony.”

Excited by the answer the pack of photographers clustered closer, blocking foot traffic for a moment until security was able to part the crowd. Just as they made it to the tower plaza a female photographer approached from the front and while getting a headshot of Darcy she asked, “Darcy what lipstick are you wearing? Where did you get? Why did you buy it? Is it your signature color?”

Taken by surprise Darcy answered with a bewildered laugh, “It’s Revlon. And, it was on sale at Walgreens.”

Making it back into the tower, Darcy and Cynthia discharged security and stood together politely as they took the elevator to the marketing offices. “That went well,” Cynthia said, taking out her phone. “I’ve been tracking you on Twitter. Considering the circumstances, coverage is – well, it’s not bad, even if they are bringing attention to situations that are less than favorable. The new selfies should help and the paparazzi will take care of getting a new story out. Hopefully, this will be enough to distract from your other faux pas.”

“Hey. Those weren’t a faux pas,” Darcy protested indignantly, feeling as if the blonde was harping on nonexistent issues just for the sake of irritating her. “I had perfectly good reasons for returning those clothes and how was I supposed to know that photographers were going to be right outside my door in one of the most secure buildings in the world? Who could have predicted that?” she demanded, incredulously. 

“Yes, well you’ve learned a valuable lesson about how the paparazzi work. You now know you will rarely if ever, be alone and unobserved again,” Cynthia said coolly glancing over at Darcy disdainfully.

“God. I thought it would burn itself out in a few days,” Darcy complained glumly, not wanting to accept the message Cynthia had repeated throughout the morning. 

“No. The public’s interest in you is unlikely to diminish any time soon. With your father in the news as much as he is, and well - all the money. It is sure to bring you scrutiny as well,” the blonde replied haughtily. 

Darcy didn’t respond, taken back by the blonde’s candid evaluation. Her disquiet went unnoticed as Cynthia said, “I’m making arrangements for your makeover next week. We’ll get you some new lipstick. You won’t need to wear that anymore.”

“What’s wrong with my lipstick?” Darcy asked defensively, feeling like she needed to protect herself from the constant criticism the blond doled out. 

“Oh, well. There are better quality lipsticks that I’m sure you’ll prefer once you’ve tried them,” the blond replied nonchalantly. 

“I like mine just fine,” Darcy said with a scowl.

Just as the elevator arrived at the marketing floor the PR rep said, “It’s up to you, of course. I’ll let you know when the makeover is scheduled. In the meantime, I’ll track Twitter trends and keep an eye out for articles. You handled today well. Although, it wasn’t necessary to answer questions. It sets a bad precedent.”

 

******

 

“Darling daughter of mine,” Tony called out as he strolled into the lab, asking brightly as he leaned against her desk, “Are we doing lunch? Or, are you too good to deign to eat with us peasants now that you’ve been trending on Twitter for the last 5 days?”

“Tony, no one in the world would ever consider you a peasant and what are you going on about?” Darcy asked distractedly, busily sorting through Jane’s notes.

“You mean you don’t know?” Tony asked incredulously.

“I haven’t been online since the news report. I haven’t had time and it cured me of ever wanting to know what people are saying about me ever again,” Darcy stated with certainty. 

“Well, Jarvis keeps tabs on things for me. He’s quite excited. You’re dominating Twitter. Apparently, there is disagreement over what your name is,” Tony explained, pulling out his phone. 

“What my name is?” Darcy asked perplexed, looking up at him in surprise. 

“#tostarkornottostark – That is their question,” Tony said dramatically. “It’s been hot all week. Are you Darcy Stark or Darcy Lewis or my favorite, are you going to be known as just Darcy as in Prince, Cher, and Madonna,” Tony asked with a delighted grin. 

“Ok. I better not become so renowned that I’m known only by my first name,” Darcy growled threateningly, disgruntled by the very idea.

Tony laughed at her aggravation, saying, “Come on, everyone wants to be famous. Your name is pretty original. What do you say? It wouldn’t take much effort on your part.”

“God, no. Becoming famous has never been a life goal; at least not since I was a kid. And, I don’t need that level of infamy,” Darcy vehemently denied, adding, “Besides isn’t that sort of an 80’s pop star sort thing? It seems kind of dated.” 

“Dated?” Tony squawked indignantly. “I’ve partied with all of them. They aren’t that old.”

Darcy laughed at his dismay and said teasingly, “Does that bother you? It’s ok Tony, you aren’t that old. I mean, you’re definitely middle-aged, at least. But you aren’t hitting old guy status - yet.”

“Were you always this cheeky? It seems like just three weeks ago you were respectful, dare I say even in awe. I think we need to return to the good old days,” Tony griped.

Darcy laughed, grinning as she said, “Too late for that. No, take backs, remember?”

“Yeah, fine. No, take backs,” Tony grumbled with a pleased smile. “So that’s a no vote on the just Darcy?” he asked, hand hovering over his phone.

“Yes, that is no vote. What are you doing?”

“Voting. There is an online poll. You need to get back online. You need to know these things!”

“What? So I can vote on what my name is going to be?” Darcy deadpan.

“Yes! Your vote should count. Twice even,” Tony said with a grin, happily teasing her.

“I’ll see, maybe I’ll give it another go,” Darcy said with a shrug, putting a sticky note on the page before her. 

“So, are we doing lunch? You feel like ordering from Ming’s?” Tony asked.

“Yeah, I could eat,” Darcy agreed with an affable nod. Glancing up at the ceiling she called out “Hey, Jarvis can you order our regular please?”

“Of course, Ms. Lewis,” Jarvis answered.

“Thanks!” Darcy said, absently, looking over at Jane she called out, “Hey Jane, lunch in 30 minutes, get ready to wrap it up!”

“Yeah, ok,” was the mumbled response from the scientist who didn’t even glance up from the report she was studying. 

Darcy looked at her affectionately, before turning to Tony saying, “I don’t think we’re going to get her back anytime soon. Our last number crunch showed some disparities in her other numbers and now she’s stuck.”

“In disparities?” Tony asked with an amused quirked brow. 

“Hey. Don’t ask me. I just work here,” Darcy said, denying her understanding of what Jane was doing.

“Fair enough,” Tony said with a shrug. 

“So, if I’ve been trending for the last five days what are people obsessing over?” Darcy asked puzzled as she began to straighten the notes before her.

“#starkatnight has been running since last night. Colbert ran a segment. Now you have people posting pictures in their pajamas. Everyone wants to know where you got yours,” Tony explained, holding out his phone for her to see some posts with pictures. 

“Really? I got them at Old Navy on clearance like three years ago,” Darcy replied astonished, as she looked over the tweets. 

“Well, you should tell Twitter, people want to know.”

“Wow, ok. That seems crazy. But, whatever,” she replied incredulously, surprised that anyone could care that much about her pajamas. 

Tony laughed, shaking his head over his phone saying, “#goingbananas is new as well. That began trending yesterday afternoon after that video of you in your pajamas ran. The question is - were you trolling the paparazzi with your banana?”

“What? How is a banana trolling? It was supposed to be my breakfast,” Darcy said exasperated, not understanding where people were getting their ideas.

“You have to admit it is sort of amazing that you were able to hold off the paparazzi at all much less with a banana. They never listen to anyone and you had them eating out of your hand,” Tony said in admiration, adding with a shrug, “You just seemed to have struck a chord with people.” Turning back to his phone he added, “#starkravingmad is my favorite. It’s been running since the day the story broke and still has some traction. The picture of you throwing coffee has been a hit. Celebrities have been lining up to congratulate you. Though, you probably don’t want to do it again. Honestly, I’m surprised we haven’t gotten sued for that yet.”

“I didn’t throw that coffee,” Darcy vehemently denied. “They knocked it out of my hands. How many times do I have to say it?!” she asked indignantly.

“Hey, don’t yell at me, I’m just the messenger,” Tony said with a laugh, holding his hands out in surrender. With a delighted grin, he said, “Here’s another favorite. #ironmanred. Interest in your lipstick is gaining traction. People are wondering if you’re wearing it as a homage to me – you know, as Iron Man.”

“What? No,” Darcy denied confused, adding, “I’ve always worn red.” Pulling out her phone she began swiping through it saying, “That all sounds pretty good. Cynthia only just mentioned Twitter this morning and she wasn’t all that enthusiastic.”

“Who’s Cynthia?” Tony asked distractedly.

“Oh, you know, my PR person,” Darcy explained vaguely as she continued to swipe through her phone. “She’s been going on and on about needing good press for the business and how I’m screwing things up, with what I did yesterday and with what happened the day before and well, yeah. But from what you’re saying this is pretty positive,” she explained, ending with a confused frown.

“It is. I don’t know what she’s been looking at. But, the public loves you. So are you going to open a Twitter account?” Tony asked enthusiastically, wanting Darcy to join him in the shenanigans he got up to on social media. 

“I never deleted my Twitter account. I just haven’t used it since everything happened. I suppose I could get back on it,” Darcy said, considering the idea.

“What do you go by? I’ll follow you,” Tony said expectantly.

“Oh, ah. Well, I got it years ago, you know. So it’s a bit -” Darcy hedged, suddenly embarrassed.

“Ohhh, do you have an embarrassing handle?” Tony teased, delighted by her awkwardness. 

“It’s not bad. It’s just a bit – suggestive,” Darcy said skittishly.

“Do tell.”

“It’s @kissandtell. I got it when I was 16 and I was finally on my own and I was …exploring things,” Darcy said defiantly, with a slight blush washing her cheeks.

“Exploring things?” Tony questioned amused, only to suddenly backpedal, “Wait, I don’t want to know, do I?” 

“Hey, it’s not that bad. I was a precocious 16-year-old. I thought I was being daring,” Darcy said defending herself as she stacked folders abruptly one on top of another, trying to ignore his amusement. 

“Ok. Fair enough,” Tony said with a shrug. Looking up at her expectantly he asked, “Are you going to keep it? If you have your name on your account I can guarantee you’ve got a million followers by now.”

“No. I learned that lesson a long time ago. My name is not on the account. I go by Darcy E.”

“E?” Tony asked, curious.

“Elizabeth. My middle name. I wasn’t too original,” Darcy shrugged.

“No, I like it. Darcy E. You sound like a rapper,” Tony affirmed, with an approving nod.

“Great,” Darcy said flatly, not impressed with the suggestion. 

“So are you going to put your name on the account?” 

“I suppose I could. No reason not to at this point. It will eventually get out once you mention me,” Darcy responded unconcerned by the idea that he would take her name public. 

“So do you want me to introduce you? Tony asked excitedly. 

“Yeah, sure,” Darcy smiled at him, happy to indulge his childlike delight.

Tony quickly began to type with a devilish grin, saying, “Ok, here we go. Introducing @kissandtell, aka Darcy Lewis, aka my darling daughter.”

“You’re attached to using that aren’t you?” Darcy said with a tolerant smile.

“What? Oh, you mean darling daughter? I think it has a certain ring to it,” he responded unabashedly teasing her as he knew she wasn’t quite comfortable with the endearment.

“Ah-ha. Fine,” Darcy said amused, as she rolled her eyes, giving up that fight. “Here, let me get to my account to change my name,” she said distractedly as she began to page through her phone, only to gasp, “Oh my god. It’s been like 30 seconds. I have 500 followers. This is insane.”

“Give it until the end of the day, you’ll have a million,” Tony replied unconcerned, as he considered her Twitter page. “So what is your first post going to be?”

“Pressure much,” Darcy snarked at him, adding thoughtfully, “I don’t know. I guess I’ll just tell them where I got my pajamas? Leaning back in her chair Darcy concentrated on typing, looking up she said, “Here, how’s this?” For #starkatnight - Old Navy pajamas bought on clearance 3 years ago. They’re comfy!” Considering her Twitter account she said, “I might as well go ahead and answer all of them.”

“Yeah, go for it,” Tony encouraged as he continued to swipe through his phone. 

“Ok, here it goes, #starkravingmad – I did not throw that coffee. Coffee is mana from heaven. It was knocked it out of my hands!”

“You are not going to let that go are you?” Tony asked her wryly.

“No. I did not throw that coffee. As much as it costs, I would never even consider throwing it. With as many cameras that were there, someone had to have recorded it,” Darcy said adamantly, defending her position.

“Alright, alright. Whatever you say. Stick to those guns. You might need them if we get sued. You know that could happen right?” Tony asked curious to know if Darcy was aware that her interaction with the press could have more adverse effects than a few bad pictures.  


“Sued? Why would I get sued over spilt coffee?” Darcy asked unconcerned, clearly never having considered the larger ramifications of dealing with the media. Though in the next breath she addressed how her actions could be misconstrued by announcing, “For #goingbananas I’m saying, Sometimes a banana is just a banana. I mean really what are they thinking? Trolling with a banana?”

“Who knows? At least they think you’re funny. From what I can see you haven’t gotten many of your own trolls yet. Count it as a win,” Tony said.

“I guess. This is sort of fun. After all the bad press I’ve gotten it’s nice to see something positive. Or at least, something positive that has come out of the bad press,” Darcy responded thoughtfully. 

“Don’t worry about bad press. Seriously, you’re a Stark. Half the time the public will love you and half the time they’ll hate you. No matter what you do. I just don’t bother playing the game anymore. Or, I play it on my terms, like this. It works for me. Although, I will admit I’ve cleaned up my act since Pepper. So they have less bad press, but it’s always there,” Tony said with an uncaring shrug. “Now what are you going to say about the #ironmanred? Are you sure you don’t want to say it’s in homage to me? You know, honor your father,” he said jokingly.

“No. I do not,” Darcy objected. “I’ve been wearing red lipstick since I was 15. Longer than you’ve been Iron Man. Ok, here, #ironmanred - Not for dad. Red was my signature color first.” 

“I’m hurt. Hurt, I tell you,” Tony said, clutching his hand to his heart feigning his grief.

“You’ll get over it. Now, lunch is here. I need to dig Jane out. You – get the orders from the delivery guy,” Darcy directed, heading over to Jane’s desk.


	17. It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betrayal followed by friendship and lastly love. Acceptance is key.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot begin to thank thestancyg enough for the time taken to brainstorm ideas and the proofreading!
> 
> This is a huge chapter. Twice as long as any before. I hope the wait was worth it!
> 
>  
> 
> For the curious  
> https://www.lamborghini.com/en-en/models/aventador/aventador-s-roadster

With Saturday winding down Darcy was wondering if there was a way she could sneak past the paparazzi and actually do something with the rest of her weekend. She had been looking forward to playing tourist but was now effectively trapped in the tower. Without plans, she expected she’d be bored out of her mind Sunday with little to do but work. 

Preoccupied, Darcy was unprepared for Cynthia’s sudden appearance in the lab on a Saturday afternoon. Darcy’s guard immediately went up as she watched the woman approach her desk. Darcy frantically tried to determine what she might have done to attract the woman’s ire so soon after seeing her earlier that morning. Surprisingly, the PR rep didn’t appear angry but instead looked concerned. With a pained expression, Cynthia said, “I need to speak with you about something that’s a bit delicate. Maybe we could go to a meeting room?”

Taken back by the blonde’s unexpected decorum Darcy immediately agreed and lead her to the floor’s conference room asking awkwardly, “What is this about?”

“It's lucky I came back to work after our meeting this morning. I need you to look at this,” Cynthia said, handing Darcy a tablet as they sat down at the table.

On the tablet was a picture of one of Darcy’s foster mothers and sister from years ago. Apparently, they had sold their story to Extra! Pulling the tablet closer, Darcy skimmed through the report and then hit the video button, bracing herself for what they had to say. Unsurprisingly, the report was less than favorable. The family remembered her as a spoiled brat with a bad attitude who never helped around the house or with the other children. They told a story about how poorly she had treated some toddlers left in her care, explaining how they had returned home to a disaster after being away only a few hours. They recalled how she had always been trouble, was out at all hours and that when she was removed from their home she had been placed in a halfway house for troubled teens.

Once the video finished, Darcy placed the tablet carefully on the table turned her head away and tightly crossed her arms over her chest. Cynthia coolly observed her for a minute before asking suspiciously, “Is any of it true?”

Darcy didn’t answer immediately instead tilted her head to the side considering the question before saying with a tight frown, “Some of it. They left out a lot of important parts but yeah, I guess.”

Cynthia sighed in disappointment and said, “That’s unfortunate. I had hoped that wouldn’t be the case.”

Darcy sat stiffly and starred despondently down at the table before asking, “What happens now?”

Cynthia sat forward and pulled the tablet toward her said tartly, “Now, we ignore it. There isn’t a lot we can do. It might be possible to address it during an interview. If we need to. It depends on how much traction the story gets. My main concern is how many other surprises are out there?”

“What?” Darcy asked upset.

“How many other people are going to come forward with stories about you?” Cynthia clarified. 

“I don’t know?” Darcy said dubiously, sinking back further in her chair as she scowled at the table. 

“Well, do you have a best guess? Do we need to worry about roommates or coworkers, or anyone else you didn’t get along with?” Cynthia pushed. 

Darcy ran her hands through her hair, straightened her glasses and shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She felt betrayed and hurt and more than anything didn’t want to talk to Cynthia about her past. “What do you want me to say?” Darcy asked warily, adding forcefully, “Yes, there could be more people who’ll talk to the press.” 

“I just need you to be honest with me. Is this the worst of it or is there still more to come?” Cynthia asked apprehensively. 

Darcy breathed slowly, trying to get past the disquiet Cynthia’s questions caused. She concentrated on the grain of wood of the table and shied away from the blonde’s penetrating gaze. Finally, she said with a petulant frown, “I didn’t get along with any of my families really well, but this one was the worst. They were horrible. The rest, well, I was a kid who was obsessed with school and escaping the system as soon as possible. I didn’t fit in anywhere until I got to college and even then I was always the youngest in my class.”

“I see. What about roommates and coworkers?” Cynthia asked impassively. 

Darcy stared down at her hands considering the question for a moment before saying, “I doubt my roommates will say anything. I got along with all of them fine. Besides, I wasn’t home a lot. I was either at the library or the labs.”

“Any underage drinking?” Cynthia asked skeptically.

Darcy glanced up and glowered at the blond saying sharply, “Yes, there was. I drank a few times with friends.”

“Will any of those friends say anything?” the blond asked distrustfully. 

“I don’t know. Maybe. It’s not like I was besties with them, but I got along with everyone well enough,” Darcy said, petulantly. 

“I see. And coworkers?”

“No. None of them will say anything.”

“How can you be so sure?” Cynthia asked cynically. 

“Because, I know them,” Darcy insisted surly, adding, “If anyone tried to talk to them, the guys at the garage would tell them to get lost or talk me up. Same goes for the bakery I worked at as a kid and the library.”

“Those were the only places you were employed?” 

“Besides Jane, yeah. I’ve been in school since I was 14. I worked when I could but mostly I’ve been in school,” Darcy elaborated grudgingly. 

“Getting back to your time in school. Is there anything further we need to be concerned about?” Cynthia asked impassively.

“What do you mean?”

“I understand college can be a time of discovery and well, experimenting,” the blond said emphasizing the last while leaving her question unsaid. 

“Are you asking if I’ve done drugs?” Darcy asked incredulously.

“Yes, I am. And anything else we should be concerned about,” Cynthia confirmed coldly. 

“Fine. No, I never did drugs. Yes, I drank a few times, but nothing excessive,” Darcy offered resentfully. 

“And boyfriends? Girlfriends?” Cynthia asked insensitively. 

Darcy snorted, “Right, like I’m going to talk to you about that.”

“It’s up to you, but the more I know, the better prepared I’ll be. We don’t need something like this blindsiding us again,” Cynthia said disapprovingly.

“It’s not like I have any control over what people say,” Darcy heatedly protested.

“You’re right, you don’t,” Cynthia agreed. “But we need to be prepared. Is there anything else I should know?” she asked impassively.

Darcy was silent for a long moment and with a resigned sigh, sat up straighter and glancing uncomfortably at the PR rep said, “Yes. You should probably know – well. I filed a sexual harassment claim against a teaching assistant a few years ago. The engineering department took care of it and the guy was dismissed. I know the school won’t say anything, they can’t. The guy won’t because it will make him look bad. Last I heard he was working at another college. He won’t want the story to come out any more than I do.”

“That is exactly the type of situation I need to know about,” Cynthia asserted, adding tartly, “It would be best if that never became public. Is there anything else I need to be aware of?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Darcy said sullenly.

“Very well. Extra! plans to air the segment tonight. The producer sent Stark Industries a copy asking for a response. I will issue a no comment statement, as I have to all the other requests,” Cynthia briskly explained. 

“What other requests?” Darcy asked surprised.

“We’ve received numerous requests for comment on your behalf and as per standard procedure, we’ve issued no comment statements. This, however, needed to be evaluated,” Cynthia clarified.

“Oh. Well, is there anything I should know about?” Darcy asked cautiously.

“No, not really. They were all requests from the press. Things we routinely issue no comment statements for on behalf of Mr. Stark. We’re continuing that policy in regards to you,” Cynthia elaborated unconcerned. 

Darcy sat dejectedly waiting for the PR rep to continue and when the blond remained silent Darcy asked warily, “So, are we done?”

“Actually, I have one more thing I’d like to talk to you about,” Cynthia said evenly. “I see you started using Twitter. I wish you would have told me you had an account. I was in the process of setting up an official account on your behalf. I think you need to discontinue the account you are currently using as the handle is inappropriate,” she said, expectantly. 

Darcy hung her head in defeat. She wasn’t remotely surprised Cynthia was unhappy Darcy was using Twitter, or that the blond didn’t like her handle. It was just one more thing in a long line of things the woman didn’t approve of. After a dejected sigh, Darcy said forcefully, “Tony was the one who told me to start using Twitter again. He introduced me. If he doesn’t have a problem with my handle, neither should you.” Adding adamantly, “I don’t need an official account I can handle Twitter on my own.”

“I see. If you’re sure. It isn’t a very professional handle,” the blond said miffed.

“Twitter accounts aren’t supposed to be professional,” Darcy retorted, adding hotly, “They’re supposed to be fun. I’m not going to let you use it as some sort of - I don’t know - tool? To build my image.”

“Alright. If that is how you feel. Use it as you see fit,” Cynthia responded wearily. “But you should be aware social media never goes away. Once you’ve posted something it will always be there,” she cautioned.

“I know that. I’m not an idiot,” Darcy said offended. 

“I only wanted to caution you as there are many ways you could get into trouble using Twitter or other social media platforms,” Cynthia reprimanded her. “I’ve seen your Facebook and Instagram accounts. It is good you placed them on private, but it is unfortunate that you were unable to do so before the story broke. Everything you’ve posted in the past has been reviewed and copied,” she observed with a pained sigh. 

With a helpless low groan of frustration, Darcy took off her glasses and ran her hands over her face. After a moment she collected herself and asked wearily, “Do you ever let up? I mean seriously. You criticize everything. It’s not like I knew a week ago this was going to happen.”

“I’m not criticizing you and I’m sorry you are taking my concerns that way. I’m only trying to educate you and help you deal with the situation you now find yourself in,” Cynthia said unflappable. 

“Well, you suck at it,” Darcy observed flatly, frowning at the woman reproachfully, having had enough of her subtle and not so subtle jabs.  


“That was uncalled for,” Cynthia objected. She chastised her adding, “You should be able to maintain a professional working relationship with me, no matter how little regard you apparently have for me.”

“Little regard I have for you?” Darcy sputtered in protest, “What about you? You’ve been horrible since the day we met,” she complained incredulously.

“I don’t know where this is coming from,” Cynthia said disapprovingly, adding resignedly. “I’ve only worked on your behalf though I’m starting to wonder if you even care what sort of impact you have on Stark Industries as you certainly haven’t followed any advice I’ve given you.”

At the mention of Stark Industries, Darcy’s anger dissipated. She slowly sagged in her chair helplessly, feeling suddenly adrift, overwhelmed by the entire situation. It all came back to the company. She was working with the PR rep because Pepper wanted her to. It hadn’t even been a week and it was an unmitigated disaster. While Darcy was willing to take some of the responsibility she felt Cynthia was just as culpable for their failure to work together, due to her relentless criticism. “I care about Stark Industries,” Darcy refuted, trying to take a stand. “I just don’t like how you criticize everything. I can’t win with you,” Darcy insisted. 

“Well, if you’d take direction we wouldn’t have the problems we seem to be having,” Cynthia said derisively. 

“I take direction fine. You just nitpick at everything. It’s impossible to make you happy,” Darcy protested vehemently. 

“I don’t know what to say to you. You’re obviously upset and need to cool down. I thought we had cleared things up this morning,” Cynthia said, haughtily. 

“No, you said everything you needed to say this morning. I didn’t,” Darcy denied heatedly. 

“Well, have you said everything you need to now?” Cynthia asked impatiently.

“Not really. But you aren’t listening to me so - ” Darcy grumbled sourly. 

“I’m listening now. What else do you want to say?” Cynthia asked coolly. 

“Well, could you back off a little bit? I’m not perfect but I’m not the idiot you seem to think I am,” Darcy requested sarcastically. 

“I don’t think you’re an idiot. I think you are a young woman in need of some guidance. Which I’m doing my best to offer,” Cynthia responded in mild indignation. 

“Yeah, well. You could be a lot nicer about it,” Darcy bit out. 

“Ok,” Cynthia said coolly.

Silence stretched between them until Cynthia asked, “Is there anything else you’d like to tell me?”

“No,” Darcy said sullenly. 

“Very well,” Cynthia stated neutrally. “I’m sorry that you are so unhappy with what we have been working on this week. Hopefully, next week will go smoother now that we have gotten past some of the initial bumps,” she added evenly. 

When Darcy didn’t respond the blond continued, “If there isn’t anything else, I will release a statement in regards to this interview. I’ll track the interview’s response and update you next week.” Sitting forward she advised tetchily, “In the meantime, can I ask you to be careful using your Twitter account and if you go out in public to not speak to the press. We need to avoid any additional unfortunate situations.”

Darcy turned away as if to block out the blond, having had enough of the woman’s attitude and bit out resentfully, “Yeah, sure. Are we done?”

“Yes. We’re finished,” Cynthia said smoothly as she stood. Picking up the tablet she turned to leave saying, “I’ll see you next week. Have a good weekend.”

“Yeah,” Darcy gritted out, waiting impatiently for the woman to leave. 

After a long moment, Darcy sat back with a heavy sigh and impassively looked out the massive window before her. She numbly watched the tiny cars down on the street drive by, feeling empty and at the end of her rope. A sense of helplessness hung over Darcy as the emotional toll of the week’s events caught up with her. She wasn’t surprised by her foster family speaking to the media. They were horrible people and rather than stay with them Darcy had chosen to go to the halfway house for the last 6 months she was with social services. She knew going in that they were her last chance at a family as she had been shifted from too many to be able to be placed again. Given the choice, she still would have reported them for neglect of the other children in the home, no matter what the long-term consequences were. 

Darcy hoped the public would give her the benefit of the doubt when the story ran. She knew she didn’t look good but she was fairly certain that the family also lacked credibility as their crass delight in telling their story was clear for all to see. Darcy leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling, wishing she could somehow stop everything for a while. She was tired and had no desire to deal with anything else. After a long moment of staring at the ceiling, Darcy sat forward and pushed her chair away from the table. With a determined shake of her shoulders, she stood up, adjusted her glasses and headed back to the lab.

 

Jane took one look at her and said angrily, “What did that bitch say to you?”

“Nothing. She was – She was like she always is,” Darcy said with a tired shake of her head.

“She obviously said something. You’re upset. What happened?” Jane demanded.

“One of my foster mothers and sister did an interview with Extra!. Cynthia needed to know if what they said was true. Then she wanted to know if there was anyone else who would go to the press,” Darcy explained wearily as she sank into her desk chair. 

“God Darcy. I’m so sorry,” Jane said sympathetically, adding heatedly, “Did that witch blame you for this? Because I will -” 

“No. Not really. She just had a lot of questions,” Darcy said resignedly, adding cynically, “It’s not as if my foster families could say a lot. I wasn’t with any of them that long. And, I don’t think the guys at the shop would talk or any of my roommates but you never know – you know?” 

“Well, you know Eric and I would never say anything,” Jane assured her. Suddenly looking stricken she asked worriedly, “What about the sexual harassment claim?”

“I told her about it. I don’t think that will become public. The school can’t say anything and I don’t think he’ll want it getting out,” Darcy explained emotionlessly.

“True. I hope it doesn’t. It’s the last thing you need,” Jane observed.

“Yeah,” Darcy said darkly. Roughly stacking the folders on her desk she said sarcastically, “This has been a fun week, hasn’t it? It’s so glamorous being Tony Stark’s daughter.”

“Darcy,” Jane reprimanded her warily. 

“No. It’s ok,” Darcy said rebuffing her concern as she abruptly opened her desk drawer and pulled out her purse. “I’m going to call it a day, ok? I’m done,” she declared petulantly, adding, “I know you’ll want to finish that report but don’t stay up all night, alright?”

“Darcy, I don’t need to do this now. Maybe we could get some dinner?” Jane suggested worriedly. 

“No, it’s ok. I think I need to be alone right now. It’s just been a long week,” Darcy said sullenly as she stalked toward the lab doors. 

“Alright, if you’re sure,” Jane said helplessly as she watched her walk away, adding hopefully, “But, if you feel like company, I’m here ok? I don’t have anything that can’t wait.”

“Yeah, ok. See you later,” Darcy said crossly, resolutely leaving the labs behind her. 

 

Darcy didn’t actually want to go back to her suite. But she didn’t know where else to go. She couldn’t go for a walk and she didn’t want to talk to anyone. She settled for putting on her pajamas and curling up on her couch with a soft afghan she had bought at a flea market in New Mexico. She put on the TV and flipped channels randomly, but nothing caught her attention. A few tears fell as the stress of the week caught up with her and but she shook them off after a moment, resolved not to let her emotions get the better of her. For a distraction, she wandered into her kitchen and opened her refrigerator to look at its mostly empty shelves. Not willing to put the effort in needed to cook Darcy shuffled back to the couch only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. 

Behind a large box of pizza and a haphazardly stacked box of wine, Jane stood looking determined. She pushed her way past Darcy saying authoritatively, “I don’t think you should be alone right now. I’ll leave if you want me to but I brought pizza and after the week you’ve had I think you could use a drink.” Dropping the heavy box of wine on to the coffee table with a thud, she put down the pizza box saying, “I thought about getting something stronger but decided you’ve probably had enough hard liquor. Jarvis was able to get me wine, so here I am.”

“You had Jarvis deliver you a box of wine?” Darcy asked deadpan.

“Yes,” Jane responded indifferently as if it were completely normal that she would make such a request as she sat down and threw open the box of pizza, adding, “You should eat while this is still warm.”

Not sure what to think, Darcy got some wine glasses from the kitchen and helped Jane open the wine. With a weary laugh, Darcy said, “You know this is pretty ghetto. We’re drinking wine out of a box in one of the city’s most expensive buildings. Tony probably has $1000 bottles stashed somewhere.”

“Hey, I knew you’d like it and if it was good enough for us in New Mexico it’s good enough for us in New York,” Jane argued as she poured the pink chablis.

“Oh, I’m not complaining I’m just pointing out the irony,” Darcy remarked, mildly amused.

“Fair enough. Now drink. To – what should we drink to?” Jane asked, holding up her glass.

“To the end of the week!” Darcy said in exasperated relief, tapping her glass against Jane’s and taking a large swallow of her wine.

“May you never have another like it,” Jane added fervently, sipping her drink.

“God, I hope not,” Darcy agreed vehemently. 

“I’m sorry this week has been so horrible,” Jane sympathized, picking up a piece of pizza.

“Yeah,” Darcy agreed with a helpless shrug, adding thoughtfully, “It wasn’t all bad. I mean, some of it was good. Finding out about Tony was good. I’m happy about that.”

“Yeah?” Jane questioned hopefully.

“Yeah,” Darcy said, with a nod, drinking her wine, adding in mild indignation, “It’s just everything else. I can’t deal with anything else. I just can’t. I don’t want to be here, but I don’t really want to be anywhere.” Adding with a frown, “It’s not like a change in location would make that much of a difference. I just want everything to stop for a little while.”

“I get that. I’m not sure what to tell you,” Jane said unhappily, offering, “We’ll do whatever you want this weekend, ok?” 

“That’s just it. I don’t want anything. If I didn’t know better I’d drink this entire box and go to bed, but I know that’s not the answer,” Darcy said flatly as she took another deep drink of her wine.

“No, it’s not,” Jane hastened to agree. “I’m sorry I can’t make this better. I thought the wine and pizza might help.”

“It does,” Darcy reassured her adding pragmatically, “There’s not much that is going to make me happy right now.” 

Just then there was a knock on the door. Glancing curiously at one another, Darcy got up to answer it to find Pepper standing there holding a large binder. Pepper smiled warmly and said, “Oh good you’re home! Do you have a minute? I wanted to show you some ideas my designer came up with your apartment.”

“Oh, sure, come on in. Jane and I were just having dinner. You can join us if you want, we have wine if you’d like some,” Darcy said, stepping to the side.

“That would be lovely,” Pepper assured her, adding with a friendly smile, “Hello Jane, I’m glad you’re here. You can look at these designs too.”

The three settled on the couch and to Pepper’s credit, she didn’t even blink when Darcy poured her a glass of wine from the box. She readily took a sip and then began to page through the binder, explaining the variety of options available to them and how they could meet with the designer next week to make their final decisions. Feeling a little overwhelmed Darcy said cautiously, “Wow, this is – it’s great. Don’t get me wrong. But you don’t need to do this.”

“Well, I planned to do the apartments myself but they’re yours,” Pepper explained. “You should decorate them the way you want them. And, if it’s the expense you’re worried about, please don’t be. I have a set budget I planned to use. Janis will just use it for you,” she clarified.

“It seems like a lot,” Darcy remarked carefully. 

“It’s really not,” Pepper gently insisted. Pausing for a moment, she placed a hand softly on Darcy’s arm and said earnestly, “I know you want to be independent and I admire that. But this something that Tony and I want to do. Let us. We both want you to be comfortable here. And Jane, you too.” Adding expectantly, “Hopefully, you will both be living here for a long time to come. It only makes sense that you put your signature on your own home.”

As Darcy considered the binder uncertainly Pepper took a sip of her wine and then broke the silence saying, “The one thing Tony likes to do more than anything is to take care of people he cares about. It makes him happy to know the people around him are happy. I promise you, he doesn’t see this as too much, but as something he’s glad he can do.” She flashed a quick smile and confided, “Actually, I think he’s a little excited to see what you choose. He asked me about it earlier.”

“He did?” Darcy asked surprised.

“Oh yes. He’s anxious to get you settled,” Pepper confirmed, adding, “He was worried about you living down on 44 once he found out Jarvis wasn’t able to secure the floor.” 

“I didn’t know,” Darcy said softly. 

“Tony just wants to be sure you’re safe and happy,” Pepper confided, adding firmly, “And, this is something you can do reassure him that you are." 

When Darcy didn’t answer Pepper looked at her thoughtfully before saying quietly, “What you need to understand about Tony is gifts are his way of demonstrating how he feels. Let him give you this. You’re acknowledging how he feels. Accept his gifts as they are simply a gesture of love. They make him happy. ”

“Oh,” Darcy said mildly surprised, touched at the idea. After a moment she capitulated saying tentatively, “I guess if you’re sure.” 

“Trust me, I’m sure,” Pepper insisted with a smile. Turning a few pages of the binder she asked, “Now what do you think of red? Tony thought it might be your favorite color. I found a few accent pieces I thought you might like.”

The rest of the evening revolved around boxed wine, cold pizza and laughter as the three of them made decorating decisions. Darcy was sufficiently distracted that when they finally called it a night she was surprised to find she felt better. Jane hugged her as she left promising they’d find a way to leave the tower the next day, even if they had to brave the barricades filled with photographers. Darcy had a surprisingly good night’s sleep.

 

******

 

The next morning Darcy was cleaning up the debris of the prior evening’s mini party when there was a knock at her door. Expecting Jane, she pulled it open saying, “Hey, I was thinking – Oh. Hi. You’re not Jane.”

“No. I’m Tony. I can try to be Jane, but the height difference might give me away,” Tony said playfully. 

Darcy laughed and stood back from the door saying with good humor, “Get in here. What do you want?”

“I want you to pack a bag. For a couple of days. We’re blowing this popsicle stand,” Tony loftily instructed her. 

“What? Where are we going?” Darcy asked, surprised.

“Well, I was going to fly us to the Bahamas but Pepper thought you’d probably want to stay closer to home so I thought we’d go check out the Hamptons,” Tony explained nonchalantly. “I’ve got a place out there. No one will be around except the locals since the season hasn’t started so we can do whatever,” he said with an unconcerned shrug, adding, “It’s too cold to swim, but there are shops and restaurants or we can just hang out. Besides, Jane and I haven’t left the tower all week. I thought this might be a good way to get her out too. So, what do you say?”

“Yeah. Sure. That sounds great,” Darcy readily agreed, cautioning, “Jane will want to bring work.” 

“No problem. Bring a book, you can read in the solarium or in front of the fire. We’ll run around the island and see what kind of trouble we can get in to,” Tony said carelessly. Adding offhandedly, “Maybe bring a suit, there’s a Jacuzzi.” 

“Wow. Ok,” Darcy exclaimed, adding, “I need like 20 minutes? Or, maybe 30. I need to find Jane and get her packed too.

“Fair enough, we’ll meet in the garage in 30,” Tony agreed. 

Arriving at the garage, Darcy found Jarvis had deposited them on the lowest level. Tony was already there, leaning against a Mercedes-Benz SUV with an expectant grin. He grabbed their bags and threw them in the back saying enthusiastically, “I can’t believe I haven’t shown you around down here.” He gestured to the numerous expensive automobiles surrounding him saying, “We need to take a look under the hood and take some of these out for a spin.”

“I’d love that,” Darcy said eagerly as she took in the fleet of high-end vehicles. Freezing she gasped out, “Oh my god, is that a Buggati?” Adding, as she hurried toward it, “There are only like 40 built a year!” 

Watching as the two brunettes converged on the blue sports car Jane called out hopefully, “Can you guys do your daddy-daughter date another day? If you start now we’ll never leave.”

Chagrined, Darcy and Tony turned back to Jane and with a regretful glance, returned to the SUV promising they would find time to inspect the car another day. 

It took some time to clear city traffic but eventually they hit the main road out to Long Island. It wasn’t until they started driving through, what could only be described as villages, that Darcy asked, “Just where are we going?”

“Pepper and I have a place out in East Hampton; it’s at the furthest end of the island. We’re almost there. I think you’ll like it. Besides the pool and Jacuzzi, there’s a bowling alley in the basement that’s always fun,” Tony said nonchalantly.

“You have a bowling alley in the basement of your beach house?” Darcy deadpanned.

“With a jukebox. It’s very retro,” Tony said playfully.

Darcy shook her head and said affectionately, “You’re ridiculous.”

Tony just grinned as he turned off the main road onto a small lane. As they passed by houses that got progressively larger the closer they got to the water, Darcy’s eyes got wider and wider. Tony finally pulled onto a gravel drive and through a gate to stop before a rambling house that could only be described as a seaside mansion. In awe, Darcy and Jane tumbled out of the SUV and followed Tony on a tour of the house exclaiming in delight at its many amenities. The retreat had an old world charm to it with wide open spaces and spectacular views of the ocean. 

Once settled into rooms they piled back into the SUV for a drive through some of the hamlets in the area and eventually landed at a quaint restaurant just off the main road. They garnered little attention while they ate; the establishment apparently accustomed to serving cliental that didn’t want to be recognized. Returning to the beach house, Jane gathered some work and settled in the solarium to take in the sun and read. Darcy and Tony decided to brave the early spring weather and strolled down to the beach to spend an hour skipping stones in the surf and collecting seashells.

“Say, listen,” Tony began awkwardly, “I heard about the interview your foster family gave. Don’t worry about it, ok? Legal is on it. If need be they’ll find a way to shut them up,” Tony assured her, as he skipped a stone out into the surf. 

“You know about that?” Darcy asked surprised, abruptly standing up from retrieving a seashell. 

“Yeah. Jarvis told me. He sort of keeps an eye on things. You’ve had a rough week,” Tony observed, glancing over at her carefully, trying to ascertain how she was doing.

Darcy looked away from Tony and out at the breaking waves and said distantly, “Yeah, I really have.”

“I’m sorry this has been so hard. I didn’t want this for you,” Tony apologized, glad he had decided to get her away from the tower for the weekend. 

“It’s not your fault. It’s just bad luck,” Darcy said pragmatically. Looking at the seashells in her hands she added, “There was no way you could have known that jerk from SHIELD was going to sell my file. I mean, I don’t trust SHIELD but I expected better, you know?”

“I said as much to Fury when I spoke with him. He swears the guy will get what’s coming to him. And, Hansen’s keeping an eye on the case,” Tony assured her, skipping another stone into the surf. 

“I don’t have to testify or anything, do I?” Darcy asked worriedly.

“No, it’s an administrative type thing,” Tony said with a dismissive shrug. 

Darcy nodded with vague understanding as they both looked out at the waves crashing ashore with the cold wind blowing in their hair. 

“Thank you for this,” Darcy said solemnly, turning to him with a small grateful smile, adding as they turned back toward the house. “I really needed to get out of the tower.”

“Hey, anytime you want a break, just grab a car and come out,” Tony suggested readily. “The place will be open for the rest of the season. Once summer hits Pepper works out here for part of the week. And I have a workshop in the garage, so I’m around sometimes. It’s relaxing to just get out of the city, especially once it starts getting hot,” he assured her as he bent to pick up a seashell to hand her.

“That sounds great,” Darcy said enthusiastically, taking the seashell, touched by his thoughtfulness. Adding cautiously, “Though I don’t want to intrude if Pepper is here for work.”

“It’s no intrusion. This place is huge. Seriously, come out whenever it will be good to put the place to use,” Tony said with an unconcerned shrug.

As they walked up the path to return to the house Tony glance at his watch and said, “I have one more thing to show you that I think, - I hope, you’ll like.”

Leading Darcy back through the house Tony shot her a hopeful grin before he swung open the front door and gestured Darcy forward. She glanced at him curiously but stepped out onto the front step and stopped abruptly. Parked in the driveway was a bright red Lamborghini. Tony came to stand next to her, bouncing on his toes expectantly, watching Darcy’s reaction. “That’s an Aventador Roadster,” she said in awe as she walked toward the vehicle. Reaching out to touch it, she snatched her hand back, not wanting to leave a mark on its spotless finish.

“Yes, it is,” Tony agreed, pleased he was correct in guessing Darcy would be familiar with the sports car. “It’s got a V12 engine that can go 0 to 60 in 2.7 seconds. 740 horsepower and a maximum speed of 217 miles per hour, though you probably don’t want to try that around here,” Tony said with a grin, as he rocked back and forth on his toes. 

Just then Happy stepped out from around the SUV that was parked off to the side saying, “Here you go, sir.” He tossed the keys to Tony who caught them and dangled them before Darcy asking, “Should we take it for a spin?”

“God, yes,” Darcy enthused, reaching for the passenger door.

“Ah, ah,” Tony reprimanded her.

Darcy jerked her hand away and turned to look at Tony confused.

Smirking he handed her the keys saying, “I think you’ll need these.” 

Stunned, Darcy looked at the keys dumbfounded before sputtering, “You’re going to let me drive?”

“Well yeah, I’ve driven Lamborghini’s before. You need to drive it to really appreciate it,” Tony said with an unconcerned shrug.

“I – Wow. Ok!” Darcy said animatedly, quickly getting over her surprise. Flashing him a thrilled grin she ran around to the other side of the automobile and pulling open the unique door she took a moment to stare at the interior. She ran her hand gently down the opened door that swung above her head and said reverently, “Tony, this is a work of art.”

“I thought you’d like it,” Tony said with a pleased smile as he watched her examine the sports car. 

“This is just amazing,” Darcy gushed as she slowly sank into its leather seats and caressed the steering wheel. Beaming, Tony climbed in beside her, enjoying watching her explore the interior and eventually slip the keys into the ignition. The car started with a purr as the engine jumped to life. Darcy’s eyes flashed wildly in excitement and putting her hand on the stick shift carefully manipulated the gears. She cautiously turned the car around and directed it down the drive asking breathless, “Where should we go?”

“Where ever you want. Let’s just take it out and see what it can do,” Tony encouraged her as he eagerly anticipated her reaction to the car’s handling. 

Initially, Darcy drove cautiously getting a feel for the car but eventually began taking the curving island roads just a bit faster than the posted limit. Luckily, the roads were virtually empty as it was still too early for tourists and she was able to open up the engine a little and hear it just begin to roar. She shot Tony a playfully look as she powered down the windows and let her hair fly in the frigid wind. Energized by the drive it was nearly two hours before Darcy reluctantly turned the car back toward the beach house. She sighed contentedly as the engine rumbled gently when she pulled into the drive. 

“So what do you think?” Tony asked hopefully as the car rolled to a stop. 

“That was amazing. I can’t imagine what it could do on a straight away. I bet it’s insane on a track,” Darcy enthused reverently. 

“Good. I’m glad you like it,” Tony said with a satisfied smile as he got out the car. Turning to her he added, “Well, I need to be getting back. Stay out here as long as you want. Take that for another spin when you get bored.”

“What? You’re leaving?” Darcy asked dismayed as she rushed to pull herself out of the car’s deep seats.

“Well, yeah. Pepper and I have plans,” Tony said regretfully. “But, enjoy the place, ok?” he said earnestly.

“I – yeah sure,” Darcy said, adding gratefully, “Tony, today has been great. Really. Thank you. I’m glad we did this.”

“Yeah? Good. It was a pretty good day wasn’t it?” Tony said pleased. 

“It really was,” Darcy said enthusiastically.

“Ok well, have fun. I’ll see you when you get back. I have a spot in the garage next to a Ferrari for that. Later this week we’ll take a look under the hood,” Tony said nonchalantly.

“Wait. You’re leaving this here?” Darcy asked surprised.

“Well, yeah. It’s yours,” Tony responded confused.

“What!?” Darcy squawked.

“What did you think it was?” Tony asked surprised. 

“Not mine!”

“Of course, it’s yours,” Tony responded with a concerned frown.

“Tony. It’s a Lamborghini,” Darcy said incredulously.

“So? You like it don’t you?” Tony asked worriedly.

“I – yes. But it’s a Lamborghini,” Darcy urgently maintained.

“And, now it’s yours,” Tony reassured her confidentially.

“But - ” Darcy objected.

“So darling daughter of mine, I need to get back. Let Jarvis know when you get home and we’ll set up a play date,” Tony said as he headed toward Happy who was standing patiently next to the SUV.

“I can’t - ” Darcy protested.

Tony turned to look at her, and solemnly said, “Yes, you can.” 

Darcy looked at Tony helplessly. She could sense he was serious and that it was important to him that she accept his gift. Darcy had a feeling her acceptance meant something for them both. She struggled for a moment but looking at his earnest, yet worried expression something she had been holding on to shifted and she warmed to the idea that he was freely giving her something he knew, without a doubt, she would love. She smiled at him affectionately and said in disbelief, “This is insane.” 

As Tony began to beam at her, recognizing her acceptance, Darcy’s warm smile broadened into a jubilant grin. Darcy added, with an incredulous laugh, “Yes. Ok. I love it. I can’t believe you did this.”

Tony looked at her happily as he jauntily continued walking toward the SUV saying confidentially, “I knew you would.”

“This is still insane! It’s a freaking Lamborghini,” Darcy yelled at him in dismayed astonishment.

“Have fun!” Tony called back with a roguish grin.

“You’re crazy,” Darcy declared. Just before he stepped into the car she called out solemnly, “Tony - thank you.” 

He turned back to her with a softness in his eyes and gently said, “Of course.” With that, he shut the door and the SUV headed toward the driveway. 

Darcy stood next to the open door of the sports car as she watched the SUV pull away. Once it disappeared down the gravel path she slowly turned to the car before her and gently pulled the car door down shutting it with a solid snap. She stood back from it and then walked unhurriedly around the vehicle taking in its lines before slowly walking back into the house.

 

With a contemplative expression, Darcy joined Jane in the solarium and slowly dropping down on to a couch she solemnly said, “Tony gave me a Lamborghini.”

Jane mumbled absently, “That’s nice,” only to look up at her sharply saying, “What?”

Darcy laughed at her response and repeated incredulously, “Tony gave me a freaking Lamborghini.”

Stunned, Jane didn’t say anything for a moment before repeating flatly, “Tony gave you a Lamborghini?”

“Yeah, it’s red,” Darcy shared brightly. 

Jane stared at her for a long moment before letting out a shocked laugh, saying in amazement, “A Lamborghini?! Really? Oh my god, Darcy.”

“I know,” Darcy agreed with a wild grin. Asking hopefully, “Do you want to see it?”

“Yes!” Jane gasped out excitedly, jumping to her feet. 

Beaming, Darcy led her out the front door, to the sports car gleaming in the dim evening light. Jane paused at the top of the steps and said, “Wow. Ok, I know nothing about cars but that’s beautiful.”

“Isn’t it?” Darcy agreed looking at the car appreciatively.

“And, it’s yours?” Jane asked in wonder.

“Yeah,” Darcy said incredulously. “So, do you want to go for a drive?” she asked expectantly.

“Yes! Darcy, this is amazing,” Jane said in awe as she came down the steps to stand next to her.

“I know. At first, I told him I couldn’t take it. But – well. I just couldn’t say no. He was so happy,” she tentatively explained, adding thoughtfully, “We took it for a drive and when we got back he just said to bring it back, that he had a spot for it in the garage. Like it was no big deal. I know I shouldn’t take it but, well, you could tell he was serious. He really wanted me to have it.”

Jane nodded her head, listening intently, as she carefully reached out and touched the sleek edge of the hood. “After what Pepper said last night, I can see that. I think Tony really does enjoy giving things to people he cares about. I can see how this would make him happy. He knew you’d love it,” Jane assured her.

“I really do,” Darcy said with quiet reverence. 

“Ok. So are you going to show me what this thing can do?” Jane asked looking at Darcy, bemused. 

“This is not a thing,” Darcy said haughtily as she opened the car door for Jane and ushered her in. Walking around to the other side she arrogantly insisted with humor lacing her tone, “This is fine Italian craftsmanship, the likes of which you’ve never seen.”

Jane laughed at her affectionately saying, “Get in here and drive. You can brag about its fine Italian craftsmanship later.”

“I’m not bragging, I’m stating a fact,” Darcy said imperiously.

“Ok, fine. Fact. Now, where are we going?” Jane asked indulgently. 

“Tony and I drove around the island. I sort of know where’s there’s loop. Then we could get takeout if you want,” Darcy suggested as she put the keys in the ignition. 

“Sounds good. Now how fast does this thing go?” Jane asked curiously. 

“This is not a thing,” Darcy groused.

After driving with the wind in their hair Darcy and Jane pulled into a deli parking lot. Darcy hesitantly put the car in park and contemplated the dashboard as she nervously ran her hands along the steering wheel. She turned to Jane asking worriedly, “Can I just leave it here? I mean it’s a Lamborghini. You just don’t park these and walk away.”

Jane glanced around the interior considering before saying, “At some point, you have to just trust that it will be ok. You might as well start now. I’m sure it has a security system.” She added, nodding toward the deli, “We won’t be long and you can see it from the window.” 

“Yeah, ok.” Darcy slowly agreed, clearly torn with indecision as she took the keys out of the ignition. Opening her car door she tried to reassure herself saying, “You’re right. It should be fine.” She took a few steps away from the car and coming around to the front she looked at it uncertainly, clearly uncomfortable leaving it parked where it was. 

Jane finally said understandingly, “Come on. It will be fine. We’ll be right back.”

 

Upon returning from the deli they found they found a couple of teenage boys hovering over the car looking at it in amazement. Darcy anxiously approached them, calming once she saw they weren’t actually touching the car. 

Darcy drew near saying, “So? What do you think?”

“Dude, is this yours?” one of the boys exclaimed impressed.

Darcy laughed saying, “Yeah. Can you believe it?”

“It’s crazy man,” the other boy said in awe.

“I know,” Darcy said in agreement as she opened the door.

“Can we get a picture?” one of the boys asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Darcy said agreeably, turning to grin at them as the boys hurried to pull out their phones.

The boys took a picture of her in front of the car, as well as snapping a few of one another all the while asking questions about the car, curious to know it’s speed and how fast she had gotten it up to. As the questions petered out one of the boys narrowed his eyes at her and said, “Wait a minute. You’re Darcy Stark.”

Caught off guard, Darcy’s smile dimmed and she answered uneasily, “Well, no. It’s Darcy Lewis.”

“Damn. No wonder you’re driving this. I’d ask for one too if Stark were my dad,” one of the boys said wistfully.

Not sure how to respond, Darcy glanced nervously over the roof at Jane and said, “Well, we need to get going. We’ll see you guys around, ok?”

The boys stepped back and watched as Darcy maneuvered the sports car out of the parking lot and back on to the road. As they drove away Jane said confidently, “See, the car was fine. And those boys were harmless.”

“Yeah, I guess. I think it’s going to take a while for me to be able to just park this somewhere and not worry,” Darcy said anxiously.  


“That makes sense. But you can’t let it run your life. In the end, it really is just a car,” Jane advised pragmatically. 

Darcy snorted saying incredulously, “Just a $500,000 car. But sure, it’s just a car.”

“$500,000?!” Jane repeated stunned. She pleaded in astonishment, “Darcy, tell you’re kidding me?”

“No, I’m not. Now, do you understand why I’m so freaked out?” Darcy demanded in exasperated disbelief.

“$500,000 for a car?” Jane sputtered in shocked dismay.

“I know. It’s crazy. I know,” Darcy adamantly agreed.

“But it’s a car,” Jane feebly protested.

“Yes, it is,” Darcy nodded her head in shared incredulity. 

“Oh my god,” Jane said still astounded.

“I wondered why you were so calm,” Darcy confessed, adding “I figured you were just really chill. But you get it now.”

“I - wow,” Jane said, solemnly shaking her head in amazement. 

Darcy laughed, joining her in amazement at the outrageous, incredible car. They finished their drive silently. Pulling up to the beach house Darcy put the car in park and they both sat for a moment in contemplation. Darcy gave a disbelieving laugh and said in amazement, “I have a Lamborghini. Me. Darcy Lewis.”

Jane joined her in wonder, agreeing, “Yes, you do,” adding pragmatically, “Now, come on let’s eat dinner. And, later we can go bowling.”

Darcy followed her into the house saying wonderingly, “Jane, how is this our life?”


	18. A Light at the End of the Tunnel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony learns something that makes him really, really mad. Furious even.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to thestancyg for the multiple beta reads and all the time you have spent brainstorming. It cannot be stressed enough that this story improved substantially due to your input.

Sitting by the fire on a cold windy morning, in luxurious surroundings, Darcy couldn’t help but marvel at how much things had changed in such a short time. She was tentatively becoming comfortable with her new circumstances as unusual as they were. She was definitely in a much different place than she had been just a month ago and she wasn’t exactly sure what to make of it. 

When Darcy thought of Tony it was with affection and comforting certainty but the repercussions of being his daughter were starting to hit home. The past week with Cynthia had been exhausting. The pressure of knowing that everything she did now reflected back on Stark Industries wore on her and the accompanying expectations were impacting her studies, which were still her most pressing concern. Darcy was on track to complete both her masters in the next few months but the distractions of the past week had taken their toll as she was behind on her work. As such she resolved once she returned to the tower she would try to negotiate the type of expectations the PR rep had for her as Darcy’s schoolwork had to take precedence. 

Jane and Darcy were lazily enjoying their morning coffee and considering their plans for the day when they got an unexpected call from Tony. Apparently, the boys from the previous evening had posted a picture of Darcy with the Lamborghini to Twitter, which had caused quite a stir. It had also tipped off the paparazzi as to where Darcy was and they had descended on the beach house. Luckily, Darcy had put the car in the garage the previous night so at least the house looked unoccupied. And, the site’s fence and local police ensured the photographers were kept at a distance. The women would have been trapped until security came to rescue them if Tony hadn’t posted a picture of them in the lab on Twitter. It gave the impression that they had already returned to the tower and they hoped would cause the paparazzi to abandon their vigil. It took a few days but eventually on Wednesday morning, the local police department found no one lurking around the property and gave the all clear. 

Darcy and Jane made it as far as the lane leading to the main road before two motorcycles with photographers hanging off the back set upon them. The returning drive into Manhattan was long and arduous as the motorcycles kept pace with the Lamborghini, never letting it get away. Due to traffic Darcy was unable to open up the engine and use the car’s considerable speed to escape. Instead, she did her best to ignore the photographers and avoid hitting them as they wove dangerously through the congested roadway. After a trying three hour drive the women were met by more photographers at the garage entrance of the tower but they were finally home. 

After taking some time to decompress from the trying drive, Darcy and Jane reconvened later that afternoon in the lab. Settling into work after being away for a few days was always a challenge but particularly starting mid-day. Darcy began by reviewing her thesis notes and began outlining her plan for the next few days. She put in her earbuds and immersed herself in her writing. As such, she wasn’t aware Cynthia had arrived until the woman was looming over her. Vaguely hearing what she was saying, Darcy grudgingly shut off her music and trying to be friendly said, “Hi, sorry I didn’t know you were there. What were you saying?”

Cynthia glared at her at said caustically, “I was asking you why you haven’t returned any of my calls or texts.” 

Unfazed by the blonde’s usual acidic demeanor and not really caring that she had missed the woman’s messages, Darcy answered nonchalantly, “Oh, sorry. I’ve been out of town. My phone died. I forgot to take my charger.” 

“Of course, you did. I needed to talk to you,” Cynthia said clearly aggravated. 

“So, what did you need?” Darcy asked reluctantly, already tired of the blonde’s attitude. 

“Well, I wanted to talk to you about this week’s plans. We’re already behind since you’ve been gone for half the week,” Cynthia complained, adding “I planned to have you attend a symposium on best business practices tomorrow, it will help build your credibility. And, we really need to begin preparing you for your interview.” Looking down at her tablet she frowned, saying exasperated, “And, on top of all that today’s pictures are another nightmare we’re going to need to handle. Do you know you’ve been all over social media in that obscene car?”  


Anger flashed through Darcy but she got it under control with a breath and said evenly, “Some photographers followed us from the Hamptons.” 

“Yes. I saw. That was the only notice I had that you were back in the city. Did you even think to call me?” the blond asked in a huff. 

“No. I didn’t,” Darcy admitted unconcerned. She had been preoccupied with the drive and getting back to work. The extended retreat had given her a break from the PR rep, which she hadn’t been eager to end.

Aggrieved Cynthia sigh, “From now on you need to keep your phone charged so I can contact you.”

“Fine,” Darcy curtly agreed, turning away from her distractedly picking up a pen, as the woman’s order grated on her. In all honesty, Darcy was grateful that her forgetfulness had spared her the woman’s presence for a few days. She sat back in her chair, to put some distance between them, knowing what she was about to say would be poorly received, said resolutely, “I would have told you this sooner if I had my phone, but I’m not going to be able to work with you this week. I’m behind on my thesis schedule. I need to make it a priority.” 

“What?” Cynthia exclaimed, looking up from her tablet startled. 

“I have a deadline I can’t miss. I won’t be able to work with you this week,” Darcy repeated confidently, and while slightly worried about the consequences, she tried to appear unfazed by the blonde’s outburst.

“That’s unacceptable,” Cynthia declared, adding loftily, “Your priority should be your image after that horrible interview your family gave and the pictures of you with that car. What were you thinking of driving a car like that? We’re trying to present you as a serious professional, not some spoiled rich brat that’s spending your father’s money. It really doesn’t look -"

Suddenly, Jane sprang to her feet and stomped up to the PR rep hissing, “Who do you think you are talking to her like that?”

Cynthia took a startled step back, taken by surprise at the level of animosity emanating from the petite scientist. She came to attention and glaring down at Jane said haughtily, “Do you mind? We’re trying to work here.”

“Get out,” Jane ordered, pointing to the door. Adding insistently, “Seriously. Get out. I don’t want you in my lab.”

Stunned Cynthia took a moment to collect herself before saying contemptuously, “Fine, we’ll talk in my office.”

Shocked by Jane’s outburst, Darcy was transfixed by the women’s confrontation and didn’t react immediately to Cynthia’s decision to move their discussion. Darcy had no intention of going with the blond, as she didn’t plan to do anything Cynthia expected of her for at least the next week. Getting behind on her thesis could have serious repercussions and it had to take priority over everything else. 

Jane came to stand protectively next to Darcy and glared at the blond before saying, “Darcy you don’t need to go anywhere with her. You have work you actually need to do here.” 

Angered at Jane’s challenge, Cynthia refocused her attention back on Darcy demanding, “You need to come with me right now. You look like a spoiled brat with that car. What were you thinking getting your picture taken with it? Much less driving it?”

Darcy’s temper finally snapped and she leapt to her feet and said furiously, “I was thinking it’s my car. And, I can drive it where ever I want.”

Cynthia gasped out appalled, “That’s your car?”

“Yeah, so?” Darcy demanded hotly, finally having enough of the PR reps relentless criticism and demands. 

“Yes. That’s a good question. What’s the problem with Darcy’s car?” Tony asked curiously leaning against the lab door. He had witnessed most of the exchange between Darcy and the tall blond and after the tone of the conversation registered with him, had chosen to observe. Having heard enough and not wanting Darcy to have to face the woman further he made his presence known. 

Darcy froze in shock at Tony’s appearance and recoiled in fear, dismayed that he would be displeased that she was her arguing with the PR rep. Stricken, she was very aware that neglecting her new duties could seriously impact their relationship. 

Cynthia whipped around and stepping back in surprise, gaped at Tony. When no one responded to his question Tony casually strolled into the lab saying glibly, “I’m curious. What’s wrong with Darcy’s car? It’s a state of the art masterpiece that I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say there are people who would kill to drive that car.” 

Tony looked at the stunned PR rep and cocking his head looked at her quizzically and asked, “Who are you?” 

“Cynthia Cartwright, sir - ” the blond hurriedly introduced herself, trying to regain her composer. 

“So, Candy,” Tony said conversationally, “Who are you to call Darcy a spoiled brat? If you are her image consultant – and I take it that you are - then you should know she can hardly be considered spoiled.” Glancing around the blond to Darcy and Tony flashed her a quick smirk and flippantly conceded, “Although she might be a brat, after all, she is mine.” He quickly returned his attention to Cynthia and said in a flat, acerbic tone, “The car was a gift.” Adding with a sarcastic unconcerned shrug, “I’ve been known to give them. You may have heard - I am a billionaire.” He paced away from the three women who were staring at him, frozen in place, as he offhandedly added exasperated, “And you know, funny thing, try as I might, Darcy just refuses to spend my money.” Turning to stare coldly at the PR rep he asked in mock concern, “Does that sound like a spoiled brat to you?” Tony considered her for a long moment waiting for an answer, his dark eyes snapping in fury and he growled, “I think Jane was right. You need to leave. Now.” 

Stunned by Tony’s sudden appearance and consequent tirade it took Cynthia a moment to collect herself. She straightened and smiled, saying sweetly, “Mr. Stark. We were just discussing how we’re trying to present Darcy as a mature, responsible career woman. Surely, you can see how that car doesn’t set the right tone?”

Tony turned to Jane with a puzzled, concerned expression and asked perplexed, “You heard me right? I’m sure I told her to leave. I did, didn’t I?”

Jane snorted in delight and played along saying thoughtfully, “You know, I think you did, but maybe you need to try again. Maybe she didn’t hear you?”

“Maybe,” Tony said considering the possibility and then said with an annoyed huff, “I hate to repeat myself, but whatever.” He turned back to Cynthia and snarled in distaste, “Get out.”

“But-“ the blonde protested.

“Now,” Tony ordered in a deadly tone, brooking no excuse. He was furious that the blond had spoken to Darcy in such an insulting manner and could barely control the urge to scream at the rep for her audacity. 

Cynthia startled, and flushing in embarrassment cast her eyes to the floor and rushed past Tony without a backward glance. 

After the lab doors closed on the retreating blond Tony stood expectantly staring at Darcy and Jane. He broke the heavy silence, saying nonchalantly, “So apparently I’ve missed a few things. Anyone want to fill me in?” Tony frowned at Darcy in consternation and gestured toward the door saying furiously, “Because that? No one is allowed to talk to you like that.”

“I - ” Darcy faltered uncertainly. She stood helplessly at her desk, feeling vulnerable and exposed under Tony’s obvious anger. She was mortified he had witnessed her argument with Cynthia. But an odd sense of detachment settled over Darcy as she was certain no matter the outcome, change would be coming. 

Sure he would get answers, Tony waited patiently, intuitively knowing not to push. He was riled up after throwing the rep out of the lab and seeing the way Darcy was being treated. Tony also didn’t like how she was bracing herself against her chair as insecurity and fear bleed off of her. He tried to lessen his hostile stance and floundered anxiously for a way to reassure her. 

Jane finally broke the silence saying, “If Darcy won’t say anything I will. She’s been miserable. That’s the PR rep Pepper sent to manage Darcy’s image. She’s been impossible. So far all she’s done is order Darcy around and say horrible things. And, she made her spend a lot of money on designer clothes.” 

Tony turned his focus from Jane to Darcy and said confounded, “Wait. Pepper didn’t send anyone to manage you.” 

Shaken from her stupor by Jane’s outburst, Darcy cautiously contradicted him saying, “Yes, she did. Cynthia said she had been assigned to me exclusively at Pepper’s request.” 

“What?” Tony yelped in surprise, saying insistently, “No. Pepper was going to ask marketing to send someone to tell you how they could help you. Give you options.” He was confident marketing was not supposed to be doing whatever it was the blond had been doing and was horrified by what he was hearing. 

Crossing her arms protectively Darcy said defensively, “Well, Cynthia was clear that the decision had been made. I was supposed to work with her since everything I did from now on would reflect back on to Stark Industries, so it was important that I have the right image.” It pained Darcy to admit any of this to Tony as it made clear she was not doing as she was told. 

“What?” Tony repeated, stunned by what he was hearing as it had never occurred to him that Darcy even needed to worry about having an image, much less that it might affect Stark Industries. 

“I take it you didn’t know about any of this?” Jane asked knowingly.

“God no. Of course not,” Tony protested vehemently, glancing over at her infuriated. Taking a breath to calm down Tony turned his attention to Darcy and tried to clarify his confusion saying, “I thought you went to PR on your own.”

“Well, I would have considered it, if I had been given a chance. Cynthia showed up the day after the news broke demanding a meeting,” Darcy said, her displeasure at the visit clearly evident as was her need to justify herself.

“This should not be happening,” Tony denied incredulously, shutting his eyes and rubbing his face tiredly, as he grappled with what he was learning. 

“She wanted Darcy to be some sort of debutant and make appearances and wear designer clothes,” Jane chimed in helpfully when Darcy didn’t elaborate further. 

“Wait. I thought you bought those clothes yourself,” Tony said in consternation as he looked over to Darcy for an explanation. He had actually been pleased to see Darcy use the card he had given her after the protest she had put up. Tony wanted her to have the things she needed or wanted. It comforted him in a way he didn’t look at too closely, to know he was taking care of her. 

“Well, I did,” Darcy readily agreed, explaining further in a huff, “I bought new clothes after I sent back the designer clothes she made me buy.” She added, clearly aggravated, “Which was apparently a huge faux pas that will forever ruin my reputation with people of a certain status – whatever that means.” Darcy was still annoyed over the blonde’s reaction to her shopping choices and while she was concerned about what Tony might think, it was still something she was ready to argue about. 

Tony stared her at a loss as to how to respond as the horrifying explanation for the situation he walked in on continued to expand. Tiredly, he asked, wondering just how much more he had missed, “And, all this happened last week?”

“Yeah,” Darcy said self-consciously, as the bravery she felt while complaining about Cynthia slipped away and worry and insecurity took its place.

“It’s been a nightmare,” Jane volunteered. 

“What did she tell you Pepper wanted you to do exactly?” Tony asked carefully, trying to fully understand what had occurred. The more he heard the more appalled he was and the less in control he felt.

Darcy fidgeted uncomfortably, offering with an insecure shrug said, “She said I needed to clean up my image since I was the new face of Stark Industries.” Darcy was confused by Tony’s apparent ignorance but was beginning to get the feeling she wasn’t in so much trouble as she thought. She hoped once Tony understood how unhappy she had been he would agree to another less intense plan. Or, at the very least, give her a break from Cynthia. 

Shaking his head in disbelief Tony ran his hands through his hair in frustration, and paced away distractedly saying, “I need to talk to Pepper.” Turning back to Darcy he pinned her with an intense stare and earnestly assured her, “But first – Darcy, you don’t need to worry about any of this. Ok? I promise you. Pepper never wanted this. Neither did I. There is no image you need to worry about. This wasn’t supposed to happen.” More than anything Tony was certain he needed to communicate that one message. He had a feeling it was vital for Darcy to understand neither he nor Pepper had wanted any of this for her. 

Tony took a step forward solemnly saying, “What you do does not reflect back on the company. Alright?” Trying to reassure her Tony added heatedly, “And, even if it does I could care less. If I can announce we stopped making weapons and the company survived, you couldn’t possibly do anything to hurt it.” That was something Tony couldn’t fathom. He couldn’t imagine Darcy actually doing anything truly scandalous, much less anything that could affect the company’s stock price.

Tony continued, helplessly gesturing in dismay, saying incredulously, “And, as far as your reputation with a certain status of people is concerned, trust when I say, screw that. From my experience, people who care about that sort of thing aren’t worth worrying about. I’m certainly don’t care about them.” Tony knew exactly the type of people Darcy was referring to and he wanted to keep her as far away from them as possible. He was well aware that with his relationship with the upper crust there was little Darcy could do to endear herself to them. 

Tony took a deep breath and shaking his head asked disbelievingly, “You’ve been dealing with this all week? All alone? Are you ok?” 

“Yeah,” Darcy shrugged self-consciously, downplaying her distress, she hedged saying, “I’m fine.” Relief was starting to creep up on her as she absorbed everything Tony had so adamantly declared. 

Tony considered Darcy and taking in her hesitant stance he slowly walked to her, gently took her by the arms and said intently, “Listen to me. No one should be asking you for so much as a paperclip. You are a Stark. No one here tells you what to do. You tell them what you want. And they make it happen. It’s that simple.” 

Darcy nodded hesitantly in response as her remaining fear dissipated and gratitude overtook her. 

Continuing to clasp her arms Tony searched her face hoping Darcy believed him and said in consternation, “I feel like this a hugging moment. Should we be hugging?”

With a small teary smile, Darcy broke with a soft laugh and pulled Tony into a hug. He rocked her a little as she held on to him, in no small relief.

“You ok now?” He asked gently. 

“Yeah,” Darcy said, emotionally. “Thanks,” she said into his shoulder. Finally confident he wasn’t angry with her she held on to him for just a little more reassurance.

“Of course,” he said over the top of her head, turning into her to hold her tighter, sensing she needed him and glad to be able to offer her some comfort. 

A moment later Darcy pulled away and gave him an abashed smile. Tony cleared his throat and said apologetically, “I actually came by to see if you survived the drive in and ask how the car handled.”

Darcy laughed brokenly saying incredulously. “The car handled great. Especially the brakes. The drive sucked. I pretty much hate motorcycles now.”

Tony nodded understandingly and latched on to the change in topic and shift in emotions saying, “Yeah, that wasn’t supposed to happen.” “Although, you now hold the Stark record for being chased by the paparazzi. My previous record was two hours. So you’ve got me beat,” he teased her.

“Gee. Lucky me,” Darcy deadpanned. “It was insane,” she complained, readily shifting gears to a less emotionally demanding topic. 

“Until things settle down, we’ll just have to be more careful. You’re going to need to take security with you for a while,” Tony said, bracing himself for an argument, but certain after the earlier events of the day that Darcy needed that level of protection. 

With a resigned shrug Darcy agreed saying, “As much as I don’t want it, I would have loved to have had security this morning.”

“We’ll talk to Happy and figure it out,” Tony consoled her. Relieved that Darcy appeared to be feeling more settled after their talk he reluctantly said, “I need to go. I have to talk to Pepper. But, I’ll swing by later, ok?”

“Yeah, ok.” Darcy agreed, much more confidently, giving him an appreciative smile. 

With a reassured nod Tony headed for the door. Darcy called out him as he reached the entrance saying sincerely, “Tony? Thanks. For well – thanks.”

Tony shot her wry, understanding smile and said, “Of course.”

Starring after him Darcy took a moment before turning to Jane who was still standing off to the side and conceded, “You were right. I should have talked to Tony.”

“Tony was awesome,” Jane declared as she walked back to her desk, adding, “I have a feeling you won’t have to worry about PR ever again.”

Darcy gave weak laugh and said empathically as she returned to her chair, “God, I hope not.”

 

*******

 

“We have a problem.” When Tony Stark marches into a room and in all seriousness makes that sort of announcement, people have the tendency to either scatter or freeze. Pepper took one look at him and turned to her assistant saying, “We’ll pick this up later.”

As the assistant scurried from the room, Tony paced in front of Pepper’s desk clearly agitated. 

“Tony, what happened?” Pepper asked urgently, standing to walk around her desk and meet him. 

“I just walked in on a PR rep, who you supposedly sent to talk to Darcy; reading her the riot act for driving the Lamborghini. She actually told me it set the wrong tone for the image she’s been trying to build for Darcy,” Tony explained livid, disbelief coloring his tone. With his anger coming forth now that he was away from Darcy, Tony didn’t bother to reign it in. He knew, given a chance, Pepper would be able to explain what was going on but at the moment he indulged his temper. 

“What?” Pepper questioned in shocked disbelief. 

“From what I gathered from Darcy and Jane she told Darcy that you wanted her to clean up her image because everything she does now reflects back on the company,” Tony ranted incredulously. 

“What?” Pepper repeated growing more horrified by second.

“Yeah. I threw her out of the lab. You should have seen Darcy. She was afraid I was mad at her. After someone had the audacity to talk to her that way? Darcy was worried she was in trouble. I was ready to –“ Tony broke off trying to get a hold of himself. He took a breath and looked at Pepper in distress saying ardently, “She was afraid of me. That can’t happen. It just can’t.” Now that he was removed from the situation Tony began to feel its impact and Darcy’s initial response disturbed him. Furious as he was with the rep, what Tony wanted most was for Darcy to have trusted him that she came first before all else. 

“Is Darcy ok?” Pepper asked in concern. 

“I think so. She was pretty shaken,” Tony said worriedly, adding incredulously, “What the hell has been going on to make Darcy think she’d be in trouble with me? I was able to get most of the story out of her but I think there is more to it.” “We need to talk to Jacobs right now,” Tony insisted angrily, determined to get to the bottom of things immediately. 

Fervently agreeing, Pepper said, “I don’t know what is going on but I didn’t authorize this. I would never ask marketing to say something like that to Darcy.” 

“I know that Pepper,” Tony reassured her distractedly as he paced her office. 

Reaching her phone Pepper told her assistant, “Get me, John Jacobs, right now. Tell them I don’t care what he’s doing I want him in my office immediately.”

“He better have an explanation because this should not have happened,” Tony growled as he roughly ran his hands through his hair and tried to get his temper under control. As Tony paced he began to ramble, telling Pepper about his conversation with Darcy, concerned with how scared she had seemed. He was still expressing his frustration when Jacobs, the VP of Marketing arrived in Pepper’s office.

“Pepper how can I help you?” the man asked, getting right to the point, clearly aware this was not the typical request for assistance.

“John, we have a problem,” Pepper stated seriously, “I asked you to have a rep talk to Darcy about how your department could help her handle the media. Apparently, your rep took it upon herself to tell Darcy she needed a new image as she now represents Stark Industries and from the sounds of it the rep initiated a campaign.”

“Yes?” the VP acknowledged, taken back by Pepper’s apparent ignorance in the matter. 

“So you know about this?” Tony accused, the helpless rage he felt getting the better of him. 

“Tony, we’ll get to the bottom of this,” Pepper assured him, reaching out quickly to pull his attention to her and calming him minutely. 

“Tony, Pepper. I asked Alex to have a rep meet with Darcy last week,” Jacobs acknowledged. “From what I understand Darcy asked for her help in planning and strategy. It sounded like they were building a campaign to launch her as a media personality. I have to admit it surprised me but I thought you both had signed off on it,” he explained. 

“Are you kidding?” Tony asked incredulously. “We would never have agreed to something like that. And it would never have occurred to Darcy. Your rep did this,” Tony insisted, sure the rep had instigated everything. “I just threw her out of the labs. She tried to tell me that the car I just gave Darcy set the wrong tone for the image she was trying to build her,” Tony said furiously, his anger boiling to the surface again just thinking about the scene he had walked in on. 

“Excuse me?” the VP said appalled.

“John, Tony’s right. Darcy wouldn’t do this,” Pepper insisted, unable to conceive of Darcy taking such initiative. Adding definitively, “But she’s young, she could easily be manipulated by someone with their own agenda.”

“Your rep told Darcy she was the new face of Stark Industries and that she needed to clean up her act. Does that sound like something we’d agree to?” Tony demanded sarcastically gesturing between Pepper and himself as he angrily paced the room.

“No, it doesn’t,” Jacobs conceded worriedly. “Let me talk to Alex and find out what is going on.”

“I want to know right now. Get him in here,” Tony demanded, ready to start taking heads if he didn’t get some answers soon.

Once Alex Hartman, the Assistant VP of Public Relations joined them, Pepper quickly outlined what she had learned from Tony and Marketing VP and asked what he knew of the situation. Hartman confirmed that he had been informed that a campaign was in the process of being launched to promote Darcy as a media figure, to represent SI. He explained that he had only seen the initial proposal and expected a full workup by the end of the week for a final evaluation. When pressed for an explanation as to why he had allowed the campaign to move forward he pointed to Cynthia Cartwright, the PR representative, who had informed him that Darcy had requested they build a media profile for her. While the rep was somewhat new, he believed she was a savvy promoter who would be a good fit for working with someone so young. 

By the time explanations had been given and the meeting wound down, the business day had come to a close and there was little they could do until the following morning. Agreeing to meet first thing the next day the marketing executives left, leaving Tony and Pepper with many unanswered questions. Inspiration struck and Pepper called out, “Jarvis. Did Darcy ever ask Miss Cartwright to help her with her image or build a media campaign? Or, did Ms. Cartwright tell Darcy what to do? And can you tell me what happened during their meetings?"

“There is no evidence in my records of Miss Lewis ever requesting Ms. Cartwright assist her with her image or in creating a media campaign. Ms. Cartwright took the initiative in all of their meetings, informing Miss Lewis what she needed to do. Miss Lewis initially resisted Ms. Cartwright’s orders but eventually followed them. It has only been recently that Miss Lewis has begun to strongly disagree with Ms. Cartwright, who has ignored her concerns and continued with her plans without regard for Miss Lewis’ opinion,” Jarvis reported.

“Thank you, Jarvis. Do you have any idea why Darcy went along with Ms. Cartwrights plans?”

“Ms. Cartwright told Miss Lewis you had assigned her to handle Miss Lewis exclusively. In addition, she often reminded Miss Lewis of her responsibilities to Stark Industries and how her behavior was reflecting poorly on the company,” Jarvis said.

“Jesus, no wonder Darcy was a wreck over the weekend. She definitely didn’t want any of this but was doing it for us. I knew she was stressed, now I know why,” Tony said in frustrated disbelief. He struggled knowing that Darcy had been putting up with the abuse he had witnessed out of loyalty to him. He was staggered by what they had learned and that it had taken place right under his nose.

“Tony, we need to talk to Darcy. She’s been horribly manipulated. That sort of pressure doesn’t just go away. We need to reassure her that we aren’t angry and that she didn’t do anything wrong,” Pepper said worriedly.

“God, Pepper this is a nightmare. It’s barely been a week and things are already a mess. I’m her father. I should at least be able to protect her from my own company,” Tony said pained. He felt like he had barely begun to get his arms wrapped around the concept of fatherhood and to have it challenged so soon in such a manner was disturbing. Tony had always had a certain confidence in his business but he was admittedly shaken that it could be the cause of Darcy’s disquiet and apparent distrust of him. 

“Tony, this isn’t your fault. We just need to make sure Darcy knows we’re on her side. We’ll order dinner and talk to her. You just need to get her to join us.”

While Pepper organized a quick dinner and Tony returned to the labs. He watched Darcy for a moment, as she focused on her computer, clearly occupied with her writing. He was relieved to see she seemed to have moved past the afternoon’s confrontation and the morning’s drive. It took a little convincing as she protested as she had too much work to do, but eventually, she caved and joined him for dinner.

 

“Darcy thank you for coming,” Pepper said earnestly as soon as Darcy exited the elevator. As Pepper handed out boxes of Chinese she said, “Tony told me what happened this afternoon. I’m so sorry. We had no idea. I would never ask Marketing to use you in a media campaign.”  


Darcy played with her box of take out and looking down at it she said awkwardly, “It’s ok. I’m fine.” She believed Pepper but felt self-conscious that the redhead knew what had happened. Darcy now felt inept and stupid for not questioning Cynthia sooner and for not turning to Tony for help when she had the chance. 

Pepper considered her for a moment and said, “Darcy, you don’t have to be fine. From what I understand from Tony Ms. Cartwright was horrible to you. It’s important to me that you know how very sorry we are that you had to go through this. You should never have been treated so poorly and I will make sure it never happens again.”

Darcy looked at her searchingly and glancing over at Tony and taking in his serious expression she noticeably relaxed and offered hesitantly, “It’s ok. You didn’t know. Tony said you didn’t send Cynthia.”

“No, I didn’t. I don’t know exactly what she told you but if she was trying to start a media campaign I can guess,” Pepper said concerned, adding resolutely, “I need you to know you are perfectly fine the way you are. You don’t need to change anything, especially not for Stark Industries. We’d never ask that of you.”

Darcy laughed in awkward relief and said, “That’s probably good because Cynthia really didn’t like it that I didn’t do anything she told me to.” 

“What did she tell you needed to do?” Pepper asked curiously. 

“She was mostly concerned with how I dressed and the impression I made in the press,” Darcy revealed still mildly concerned by what the couple would think. But needing to vent she shrugged it off and complained, “I could never do anything to satisfy her and then I got my picture taken in my pajamas. She was really bent out of shape about that.”

“Hey. I told you that was a Stark rite of passage,” Tony reminded her, adding affronted, “You should be proud of that. I think I need to give you a merit badge for every time you hit a Stark milestone.” Tony was more than a little grateful he had been present for that debacle. It had given him a chance to bond with Darcy in the moment as well as an opportunity to now reassure her that she hadn’t done anything wrong. 

Darcy smiled at Tony amused and relieved, grateful for his attempt at humor. “Well, I don’t ever plan to do it again, that’s for sure,” she said emphatically. “The thing is, nothing Cynthia told me I had to do was that bad. I could see how my behavior and bad press could affect the company,” she conceded matter of fact. 

“That’s just it. It shouldn’t. It won’t,” Pepper insisted, setting down her meal abruptly. Adding sardonically, “And, I wouldn’t call last week bad press. You suddenly announce your company is no longer going to manufacture its primary products – that’s bad press. It’s just a matter of perspective.” 

“Hey, in my defense I had just spent 3 months in a cave in Afghanistan. I wasn’t exactly concerned with etiquette,” Tony whined, more than willing to be the butt of a joke to make a point to Darcy.

Pepper smiled at him appreciatively and said in mild annoyance, “If I had even 10 minutes notice, I might have helped you.”  
“Yeah, ok,” Tony conceded with a self-conscious shrug.

“Seriously Darcy, tomorrow if you want to do something crazy the only thing the press is going to do is compare you to Tony when he was your age. And, I can guarantee Stark’s stock won’t move a point,” Pepper assured her adding confidently, “And, it wouldn’t matter to us if it did, as long as you’re safe and happy. That’s really all we want for you.”

“Besides, we own most of the stock,” Tony said with a nonchalant shrug. “It took a 55 point hit a few years ago and bounced back fine. I’m not worried. Go crazy, it’ll be fun.”

“Trust me, I’m not going to go crazy. And, I don’t think I could handle any more fun right now,” Darcy declared insistently adding resolutely, “I think I’m going to be nice and boring for a good long while.” 

“You could never be boring. And, I want you to have fun,” Tony said to her earnestly. “I just never want you to look as scared as you did this afternoon. I wasn’t mad at you. I was horrified by what that rep was saying to you,” he explained, adamantly declaring, “No one gets to talk to you like that. No one. You’re a Stark.” He was willing to repeat that as long as Darcy needed to hear it. Tony had a feeling after seeing Darcy’s reaction that afternoon she would need to hear it for a while. 

“I know you say that. And, I’m starting to believe you,” Darcy acknowledge him thoughtfully, adding apologetically, “But it’s barely been a week. I’m still just Darcy Lewis.”

“You may be,” Tony conceded with an understanding nod, “But Darcy, I don’t think I’d be this angry if you weren’t my daughter. I am livid for a damn good reason,” Tony vigorously insisted. “If that rep has been treating you like that since the beginning? I just – yeah. No. That cannot happen again,” he faltered, his emotions getting the better of him. There was nothing Tony was more sure of after this afternoon’s confrontation than he would never allow Darcy to be so disrespected in such a manner again. 

“Tony’s right,” Pepper solemnly agreed, “You deserve to be treated with respect, no matter who you are, but that you were manipulated into thinking you had to represent the company is just unconscionable,” she added with a distressed and disapproving shake of the head. 

Darcy considered the couple and saw how resolute and sincere they were. With an appreciative, self-conscious smile she said in awkward agreement, “Ok. You’ve convinced me. I believe you. Seriously, I’m fine.” She added in exasperated relief, “I’m also really glad to know I don’t have to represent Stark Industries. That freaked me out. It was a lot of pressure.”

“I’m sorry for that,” Pepper said sincerely. 

“Hey, you didn’t know,” Darcy said with a shrug, able to offer reassurance now that she was feeling better about the situation. 

“No I didn’t, but I wish I had followed up with marketing. I might have been able to put a stop to things before they got out of hand,” Pepper maintained. 

“I could have said something. Jane was telling me from the beginning to talk to Tony,” Darcy admitted. 

“You know I would have listened, right?” Tony asked concerned, needing to hear that Darcy trusted him to be in her corner. 

“Yes. I know,” Darcy agreed solemnly, explaining further, “At the time, it just seemed important to do what Cynthia told me – for the company and for you.” Darcy still felt embarrassed that she had initially been so naïve as to have blindly followed the reps direction. But she had to concede, at least to herself, that her motivations had come from a good place.

“Well, from now on take care of you first. You don’t need to worry about the company,” Tony stressed. He smiled deprecatingly adding, “But me? You can worry about me. Some. If you want to. ” 

Darcy flashed him an amused smile and said with a resigned sigh, “Yeah, ok. I’ll worry about you - some. Maybe. If you want.” 

Tony laughed delighted, reassured that she was comfortable teasing him in kind and said, “Now eat your dinner before it gets cold.” Turning to Pepper he said, “See, I’m being a good dad. I’m making her eat her vegetables.”

Darcy snorted and rolled her eyes at Pepper saying, “Never mind that most lunches I have to make him eat his.”


	19. Ding Dong the Witch is Dead!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cynthia finally gets what's coming to her. Darcy bonds with Tony and Pepper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to thestancyg for all the time you've given so willingly. For the beta reading and most of all for the brainstorming. I can't say thank you enough!

Putting together a plan for the morning’s marketing meeting was a chore Pepper wasn’t looking forward to. She rarely dealt with discipline and firing employees. She left that to her management team, trusting they knew what needed to be done and who Stark Industries should keep on staff. However, faced with extenuating circumstances, exceptions needed to be made. It disturbed her that her marketing executives had been so easily led astray by a junior PR rep and knew she’d be dealing with the fallout for some time to come. As such, she felt she needed to take charge of the day’s proceedings. Pepper was apprehensive about turning to Darcy for help but felt she needed more information to understand just how the PR rep had been able to slip past management and engineer everything. She contacted Darcy personally and asked that the brunette join her in her office as soon as possible.

Darcy arrived with a hesitant smile, readily took the coffee Pepper offered and joined her on the couch near the corner windows to talk. 

“As I told you earlier I was hoping you could help me prepare for my meeting,” Pepper began briskly, explaining, “Last night’s conversation helped me organize my thoughts but if you’re comfortable, I’d like to ask you some questions to understand just how Miss Cartwright managed to get as far as she did. As I’ve said, this never should have happened.” 

“Yeah sure,” Darcy agreed willingly, even though she felt some dismay at rehashing the subject. She settled back into the sofa saying, “I don’t know what else I can tell you but ask away. I’ll do my best.” 

“Thank you. I guess the first question is did you ever ask Miss Cartwright to help you with anything marketing related? And, it’s ok if you did. I just need to know what it may have been,” Pepper explained, taking a casual tone. 

“God no,” Darcy said emphatically, plainly wanting to make that point clear. She added with mild indignation “I was thinking about talking to the PR department after I spoke with you and Tony. But Cynthia showed the very next day telling me you had assigned her to me. I didn’t feel I had much choice but to work with her.” 

Pepper pursed her lips and shook her head, displeased with what she was hearing and setting down her coffee asked, “Was there anything that she said during your first meeting that specifically concerned you?”

Frowning slightly Darcy reluctantly offered, “She said a lot, but one of the things that stuck with me was that the story from the other night made it look like I was after Tony’s money and that for the sake of Stark Industries I needed to change that impression as soon as possible.”  


“She said that?” Pepper asked appalled.

“Yes, she was pretty clear about it,” Darcy said definitively, aware Cynthia had subtly exploited her sensitivity to the subject. 

“I have a feeling I’m going to be saying this a lot, Darcy. Neither Tony nor I think that, and we would never even suggest such a thing, much less suggest that should be a cause for you to worry about Stark Industries,” Pepper vigorously assured her. 

“I’ll admit at the time I was sort of shocked,” Darcy conceded. “But Cynthia pulled out a graph of stock prices and showed me how they went up and down based on the bad press Tony had gotten over the years and told me the same thing would happen if I didn’t start working on my image,” she explained in worried disbelief, wanting it understood she hadn’t simply been led astray and that there were concrete reasons behind what happened. 

“That will never happen. Our market is more diversified then it was when we manufactured weapons. Even Tony doesn’t have that sort of effect anymore. You know that right?” Pepper asked urgently. 

“I think so,” Darcy hesitantly accepted what the redhead was saying. With a disconcerted shrug, she said, “She was just really convincing.” Regardless of the circumstances, Darcy still felt she had been duped and that she should have somehow known better than to believe the evidence Cynthia had presented.

With a nod of understanding, Pepper picked up her coffee asking, “Did Miss Cartwright ever give you a plan to sign off on?” 

“Well - She never gave me a written plan if that’s what you mean,” Darcy explained. Frowning she elaborated saying, “Cynthia mostly came to the lab to yell at me when I got my picture taken. She just said I needed to dress better, make appearances and do an interview.” 

“You met in the lab?” Pepper asked surprised. “That’s not right. If she were orchestrating a campaign she should have been doing it from her office,” Pepper commented taking a sip of her coffee as she contemplated the additional information.

“We only met in the marketing offices twice. For the initial meeting and once on a Saturday I met her there before we left for coffee. She usually just randomly showed up at the lab,” Darcy explained unconcerned. 

“Well, it’s a good way to keep what she was doing under wraps. If you had been in the marketing and PR offices regularly, people would have asked questions,” Pepper observed, suddenly gaining insight as to how the PR rep had managed to fly under the radar for as long as she had. Holding her coffee in her lap Pepper looked down at it in contemplation before circling back to a comment Darcy made, “You said she was worried about what you wore?” 

“She was really concerned with how I dressed,” Darcy stressed indignantly. “Cynthia said I made such a bad impression I needed new clothes. And, when I told her I couldn’t afford any of the things she had picked out she didn’t believe me,” Darcy said mildly annoyed. “She argued that the card Tony gave me was for shopping since I was such an embarrassment to the company. After that I gave in,” Darcy said uneasily. Pausing she looked down at her coffee and added solemnly, “To be honest I sort of believed her. Cynthia showed up demanding a meeting within an hour of Tony giving me the card.” 

Pepper closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief, saying, “Darcy, Tony gave you that card because he wanted to make sure you had everything you needed. It’s like I told you, it makes him happy to know you’re taken care of.” She gave Darcy a small amused smile saying, “He was thrilled you went shopping. He told me all about it.”

“He did?” Darcy asked surprised, taken back by the idea that Tony cared enough to tell Pepper about something so trivial. 

“Of course. It made him feel like you had accepted him as your father,” Pepper assured her, adding, “It also made him feel better knowing you were actually carrying the card with you and you wouldn’t be stuck without it if you did have an emergency.”

“I didn’t know that,” Darcy said thoughtfully, unaware that using the card actually held that much meaning for him. 

“Trust me. Tony was thrilled,” Pepper said pleased, adding kindly, “I’m sorry you were forced to make changes against your will. I think you dress fine and I sort of envy you.” She confided with a rueful smile, “There are times I wish I could wear jeans to work.”

“Hey, you could,” Darcy protested good-naturedly. Having gained a level of comfort with the redhead she pointed out, “You’re CEO. I doubt anyone would dare say anything.” 

“True, but it might affect my credibility,” Pepper agreed, adding sheepishly, “Between you and me, I think of my suits as uniforms. They’re like armor.”

“I can see that,” Darcy said with an understanding nod, adding with an impressed grin, “Your heels are scary.”

Pepper looked at her mischievously saying delighted, “They are aren’t they?”

As the pair considered her shoes Pepper glanced up at Darcy and said solicitously, “I need to ask you about the situation Tony walked in on yesterday. From the description he gave me Miss Cartwright was horribly insulting and using a very unprofessional tone. Was she like that often?”

Darcy looked down self-consciously, mentally cringing away from the memory of the way Cynthia spoke to her and said wearily, “That was sort of her default setting. I think she tried to be nice at first but even from the beginning, she criticized everything. She was relentless.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Pepper said sympathetically, adding, “Tony told me what she said yesterday. You are about as far from being a spoiled brat as I can imagine. Please don’t take her words to heart.”

“Thank you. I get that – now,” Darcy responded with a thoughtful nod contemplating her coffee she elaborated “Jane hated her from the get-go. I wished I had listened to her and talked to Tony.” 

“Why didn’t you come to us?” Pepper asked gently, taking a sip of her coffee.

Darcy deliberated for a moment before saying hesitantly, “I guess I wanted to do something to let Tony know I was – I don’t know – serious about being his daughter? After Cynthia laid everything out I was worried I was embarrassing him and the company.” Shifting in her chair Darcy said dismissively, “I guess she got in my head.” If there was anything Darcy was taking from the past week’s experience was that she needed to consider what other people’s motivations were when they spoke to her. She had been easily manipulated because she had been sucked into one person’s agenda. Darcy was determined that moving forward she would ask more questions and turn to others for second opinions. 

“Well, as much as I appreciate your sensitivity to what the company might need or what Tony and I would want from you, you have to know we would never ask this of you,” Pepper said, trying to reassure her. 

“It just felt like it was something I needed to handle myself; that I shouldn’t bother either of you with,” Darcy explained somberly, still feeling as if she should have found a way to handle the situation herself and was taking up redhead’s time. 

“It wouldn’t have been a bother. We would have helped you,” Pepper assured her concerned, picking up on her self-reproach. Sitting forward she carefully asked, “Can I offer you some advice?”

“Yeah, sure?” Darcy easily responded, curious. 

“I know you’ve been on your own for a long time. But you aren’t alone anymore. You’re Tony’s family and I hope one day you will come to see me as family as well. Let us be here for you. Let Tony be there for you like any father would,” Pepper encouraged her. 

Darcy swallowed hard and smiled ruefully glancing at the redhead and said softly, “Thank you. I guess that’s something I need to work on. I’ll admit I like the idea of having a dad again. Tony’s been great.” As overwhelming as the past week had been the one thing that had stuck with Darcy was the sense of joy she felt when she thought about having a dad. Tony was filling a hole she hadn’t even been aware she had. 

“The only thing Tony wants is to be part of your life. He loves to be with the people he cares about. And, part of being a father is taking care of you and listening. Tony takes that seriously. That’s why it’s so important to us we handle this situation immediately. Neither of us is happy this went on right under our nose. You should not have been treated so poorly and I am going to make sure Miss Cartwright knows that. She’s done working for Stark Industries.”

Startled, Darcy stopped drinking her coffee saying with wonder, “Wow. That’s – I didn’t expect that. I was just hoping I wouldn’t have to work with her anymore, that you’d reassign her or something.” The couple’s response to the situation with Cynthia had been far outside Darcy’s expectations and it was surprisingly comforting how earnest they were at coming to her defense. That Pepper was taking the step of firing the PR rep was surprising and yet a relief on many levels. 

“No. I think it’s very clear that Miss Cartwright was not only highly unprofessional she also exceeded the scope of her job responsibilities,” Pepper said seriously, adding firmly, “We don’t assign junior public relations reps to run the type of media campaign she was trying to launch. She took far too many liberties for me to just shrug this off as lack of experience.”

“Wow. Ok. That’s – I hate to say good. But yeah. If I don’t have to deal with her again, that would be good,” Darcy said relieved. 

“You don’t need to concern yourself with her again,” Pepper assured her with a firm nod. She sat forward saying confidently, “I think I have everything I need. Is there anything else you want to tell me?”

“I guess there is one thing,” Darcy offered uncertainly, “Cynthia said something about having set up an interview for next week. If I have to do it I will but I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“An interview? Thank you for telling me. We’ll cancel it – unless you want to do it?” Pepper asked indifferently as she walked to her desk.  


“God, no,” Darcy said clearly appalled at the idea as she set her coffee cup on the sideboard and headed toward the door.

“I’ll talk to marketing. And, don’t worry about any of this ok? I’ll take care of it,” Pepper reassured her.

Giving the redhead a small appreciative smile, Darcy stopped at the door saying, “Thanks, Pepper. I’m glad we talked.” As uneasy as she had initially felt about Pepper’s request to meet Darcy was leaving feeling reassured. While the talk she had shared with the couple the previous evening had waylaid most of her misgivings, Pepper’s continual rebuttal of all the things Cynthia had said soothed Darcy’s persisting fears. 

“I’m glad too. And, you’ve been a big help,” Pepper responded pleased, adding briskly, “Now, I need to get ready for my meeting, Tony will be here any minute.”

 

********

 

As hard as Pepper tried she could not dissuade Tony from attending the quickly arranged marketing meeting. Though she argued his presence was inappropriate as he was only the head of R & D and no longer part of the administrative arm of Stark Industries, he refused to budge. Pepper capitulated but insisted he not contribute to the meeting, arguing they needed the PR rep to relax and give them the answers they needed to reinforce their decision to fire her for cause. While Tony appreciated Pepper’s argument he chaffed at the idea he wouldn’t be able to address the situation himself. Nonetheless, he promised to be on his best behavior.

The marketing executives, John Jacobs the VP of Marketing and Alex Hartman, the Assistant VP of Public Relations arrived at the conference room adjacent to Pepper’s office with a pale and strained-looking Cynthia in tow. She held herself stiffly and her eyes widened slightly upon seeing Tony sitting at the far end of the long conference table but carefully took a seat without comment. 

Pepper immediately took the initiative saying briskly as she stared intently at the blond across from her, “We need to have a conversation, Miss Cartwright. I need to understand what you’ve been working on with Darcy Lewis.”

“Ok?” Cynthia breathed out, posture becoming even more rigid at Pepper’s suggestion. 

“It’s my understanding Alex asked you to advise Darcy on the services the marketing department had at their disposal,” Pepper began inquisitively, getting straight to the point.

At Pepper’s expectant pause Cynthia nodded with an uncertain smile and said, “Yes, he did.”

“And, how would you say that meeting went? Did Darcy ask you to do anything on her behalf?” Pepper asked with a tight cautious smile and waited patiently for the rep to trap herself in her own words. 

“Oh, the meeting went very well,” Cynthia began with palpable relief. “Darcy was confused at first about what she needed to do, as it was all so new to her, but once the situation was clearly explained, Darcy understood she needed assistance,” Cynthia readily offered, glancing at the marketing executives, evidently hoping for support.

When Hartman nodded at her, Cynthia’s stiff posture relaxed marginally. He leaned toward the rep asking encouragingly, “What situation needed to be explained to her exactly?” 

“Well, her status as Mr. Stark’s daughter seemed to take her by surprise,” Cynthia said somewhat incredulously, hesitantly turning to him, hopeful for a receptive audience. 

Hartman bowed his head in acknowledgment and glancing at Pepper sat back. With a noncommittal nod, Pepper said, “I see, and what sort of assistance did you offer?” 

“Well, Darcy needed help with everything, really. I explained that her image was a little rough around the edges and we needed to polish her up,” Cynthia answered confidently.

Frowning slightly at the terminology the blond used Pepper asked curiously, “What sort of solutions did you offer to Darcy to ‘polish’ her image as you put it?”

“We started with basics. I tried to get her to dress appropriately but I must tell you that is an ongoing challenge,” Cynthia shared, looking to commiserate with Pepper. “Darcy has presented herself very poorly in public so appropriate behavior also needed to be addressed,” she added aggrieved. “It has been a real challenge to clean up her messes in the press. But I’ve tried. This past week has been trial by fire, but I think we’re making headway,” the PR rep assured Pepper with the hint of a self-assured smile. 

Pepper raised her eyebrows inquisitively while jotting down a note and leaning forward asked attentively, “Was there anything else you were working on in regards to, as you said, ‘polishing’ Darcy’s image?” 

Cynthia's eyes lit up at the question and she eagerly explained, “We are just beginning to discuss public appearances and the proper way to address questions and handle people. Darcy shows a disconcerting habit of answering questions off the cuff that we’ll need to curtail.” “But, it’s understandable as she just hasn’t had any training,” Cynthia said with mild exasperation, glancing at the two executives next to her to be sure they were taking note of all her efforts. 

Having caught her eye, Jacobs gave her a strained smile and asked, “Didn’t you tell Alex that Darcy had specifically asked for your help?” 

Cynthia gave a short incredulous titter and said, “Darcy was just so new to everything she didn’t know enough to ask. I had to tell her what she needed and she agreed to work with me. I’m sure you understand.”

“I see,” Jacobs responded stiffly, glancing over to Pepper. 

“Actually, Miss Cartwright, I don’t,” Pepper said coolly, before saying confidently, “But I’m sure you can explain it to me. If this was all so new to her how did Darcy know what her image should be?”

The blond sat forward confidently and eagerly explained, “I outlined a plan with a goal of establishing her as the new face of Stark Industries.” Cynthia glanced around proudly to confirm the others were in agreement as she added, “I explained it was vital for her to build a solid, reputable image now so the company could rely on it in the coming years.” 

Pepper thoughtfully tilted her head to the side considering the blond before asking in a brittle tone, “Was it a formal proposal?”

“Oh, well no. Not yet,” Cynthia admitted, but rushed to add, “I’m still working on it but I thought it was imperative we get to work immediately.” 

Hartman sat forward and with a glance at Pepper for permission to interject he asked Cynthia, “Did Darcy ever disagree with you? And, how did you respond?” 

A flash of annoyance crossed Cynthia’s face before she said mildly exasperated, “Darcy talked back in a very unprofessional manner, but she’s young and you have to make allowances.” Cynthia elaborated saying somewhat indignantly, “I tried to be patient but I found the best way to work with Darcy was to give her simple demands, remind her of her duty to the company and she’d eventually fall in line.”

Nodding dispassionately down at her notes Pepper looked up sharply and said in a brusque tone, “So to recap Ms. Cartwright. You weren’t actually asked to work on Darcy’s image or create a media plan?” 

“No, I wasn’t,” Cynthia faltered momentarily but quickly recovering said, “But it was obvious that’s what she needed. My plan would have addressed all the challenges she faced and put her in a good position for the future.” 

“But you just said you never presented her with a plan; that you were still working on it. Why were you working on ‘polishing her image’ as you described it if you hadn’t gotten the final go ahead?” Pepper demanded perturbed. 

“Someone needed to step in and take charge,” Cynthia said with mild disdain as if it should be apparent, adding affronted, “That news story was horrible and then she kept getting her picture taken. The press was having a field day.” 

“And, you thought you were that person even though it wasn’t your responsibility?” Pepper asked accusatorially. 

“Well, someone needed to,” Cynthia said defensively, once again sitting rigidly in her chair, becoming aware the meeting was not going in her favor any longer. She insisted scornfully, “She needed to be told what to do. She was clearly out of her depth.” 

Glaring at the blond from the end of the conference room table Tony suddenly roared, “What I want to know is how does calling Darcy a spoiled brat fit into your big plan?” He paused for a moment clearly irate and asked furiously, “Where did you get the audacity to think you could talk to her like that?”

Cynthia initially startled before tilting her head down toward the table as if to avoid Tony’s wrath. The executives sat quietly next to her, making no move to intervene.

Silence stretched for a moment before Tony said snarled, “We’re through. You’re done. Darcy didn’t ask for your help. You bullied her into it. Did you really think she would actually hurt the company?” 

The silence lasted for a moment before Cynthia spun toward him and yelled angrily, “You did!” Adding vehemently, “The company has suffered because of all the bad press you’ve gotten. I was just trying to make sure Darcy didn’t do the same thing.”

The room sat in stunned disbelief before Pepper snapped her folder shut and forcefully placed her pen on the table saying, “I think we’re done here. Miss Cartwright an HR representative will meet you outside and escort you to your desk where you can collect your personal items. I’d like to remind you of the nondisclosure agreements you signed when you started. If you violate them you will be sued and I believe you’ll have difficulty finding a job in this or any of the larger markets as Stark Industries does not keep nondisclosure agreement violations private.”

Whirling to face Pepper Cynthia protested helplessly, “But -” She faltered with a gulp as she took in the CEO’s steely, unreceptive glare. Cynthia slowly gathered herself and with a stricken look she rose unsteadily to her feet and exited the conference room shaking. After the blond left Tony abruptly pushed away from the table and stalked toward the windows fuming. Pepper glanced at him worriedly and then turned her attention to the men before her. 

“John, Alex. Darcy told me she’s scheduled to do an interview next week. You’ll need to cancel it. If anything else comes up in regards to Darcy I want to see it immediately. Now, is there anything you need to tell me?”

Both men demurred and quickly left the conference room.

 

Once alone, Pepper sat and calmly watched Tony wanting to go to him but intuitively knowing he wasn’t ready. There were times he simply needed to stew in his anger and Pepper was willing to wait him out. She wasn’t sure just what had pushed him over the edge but the last comment by Miss Cartwright hadn’t helped matters. Tony was aware his previous behaviors had caused the Stark stock to fluctuate but it had always been a solid performer, the damaged he caused was never irreparable. But to be condemned and used as justification for manipulating Darcy was unexpected and had to burn. 

“Tony?” Pepper said hesitantly checking in on him.

“Sorry Pep, I know you told me not to -” Tony said apologetically, frustration evident, as he turned toward her, angrily running his hands through his hair and trying to get a handle on his anger.

“It’s fine. We had enough. Besides, you got to the heart of the matter,” Pepper said calmly while looking at him worriedly. 

Tony snorted in disgust, “It still doesn’t excuse her behavior.” 

“No it doesn’t but it explains a lot. We’ll be more careful from now on with marketing staff,” Pepper assured him. She added confidently, “I’m sure word will get out. This will be a good reminder that a certain level of professionalism is expected. I plan to have a chat with John and Alex about hiring and training practices. It might be time to overhaul that department.”

“Yeah, might be a good idea,” Tony agreed distractedly. Barely glancing in Pepper’s direction he stalked out of the room growling, “I’ll be in the shop.”

Pepper frowned, disquieted by Tony’s reaction to the meeting, but not surprised. She gathered her folder and returned to her office, moving on with her day. She knew Tony wouldn’t leave his workshop for the next day or two as he worked through his anger. Pepper fully expected to see him hammering away on a large piece of metal when she went up to the lab later to try to persuade him to eat. She hoped he would stop blaming himself and recognize the rep’s reasoning was flawed. Stark Industries markets had changed significantly in the past few years. The company was no longer as reliant on one designer and corporate face as it had been when it was manufacturing weapons. Stark Industries was too diversified for any one person to have the same impact Tony had previously. Tony was the face of Stark Industries because of his notoriety which had only grown due to Iron Man, but his overall impact on the stock price had actually lessened. Darcy could never begin to have the same impact Tony once had. 

 

*******

 

A quiet peace settled over Darcy after her meeting with Pepper. While she hadn’t particularly cared to revisit her time with Cynthia it was heartening to know Tony and Pepper were taking her seriously. Darcy hadn’t expected their ardent support and now felt a little self-conscious at the intensity of their reaction. It was unsettling in the best way to see how motivated they were to set things right. She was comforted to know she wasn’t alone in this. Darcy tentatively examined how she felt about the couple and quickly set it aside, unable to contemplate it too closely and instead immersed herself in her school work. 

It was late afternoon when Darcy finally came up for air and took a break. Darcy glanced over at Jane and saw she gnawing on the end of her pen; a sure sign she was hungry. Darcy set about ordering lunch and making a fresh pot of coffee as it appeared Jane was also on a research roll. It felt like old times and she was reminded of the old dealership as she made arrangements for them to settle in and pull an all-nighter. 

Once lunch arrived, Darcy persuaded Jane to eat and took Tony’s meal up to his workshop, hoping he would take a break and join her. She found him at his foundry hammering away on a large piece of metal. He was so preoccupied with what he was working on he didn’t notice Jarvis had turned down his music upon Darcy’s arrival and she hesitated to disturb him. Approaching him carefully from the side Darcy cautiously raised her voice and called out, “Tony? I brought you lunch.”

Tony paused mid-swing and turned to her in surprise. He blinked at her for a moment and then lowered his hammer with a contemplative frown, saying blearily, “Hey. Yeah. I guess I could eat.” With his anger driving him at the moment Tony didn’t particularly want to stop working. However, the PR fiasco hung over him and even though they had left things on a positive note the previous night, he needed to confirm Darcy really was ok. 

“I didn’t mean to interrupt. It’s just Jarvis said you hadn’t eaten so I ordered you something,” Darcy explained looking at him worriedly as he seemed unfocused and in a much darker mood than any she had seen before. 

“Yeah, thanks,” Tony said tiredly as he pulled up a stool. He frowned down at his lunch and stabbed at it for a minute before saying discontentedly, “Pepper took care of the mess with PR.” 

“I know. We talked this morning,” Darcy told him as she pulled up a chair. “She was great,” Darcy said affectionately, confident the morning’s meeting had strengthened the growing friendship. 

“That’s Pepper,” Tony said nodded, his eyes shadowed. He glanced at her and asked anxiously, “You’re ok though, right?”

“Me? I’m fine,” Darcy assured him, adding with an unconcerned shrug, “I’m just glad it’s done with. I can focus on my thesis now. I need to finish my 3rd draft, so I can get into final rewrites.” It was comforting to know the only thing she had to worry about now was her thesis as she knew exactly what she needed to do versus last week where she didn’t.

“Oh hey, if you need a second set of eyes. I’ll take a look at it,” Tony offered, curious to see Darcy’s work, his interest breaking through the despondency that had settled over him.

“Really? That would be a huge help,” Darcy said eagerly. “I can always ask Jane. She’s my advisor, but still. Another unbiased opinion would be helpful,” she added appreciatively, secretly excited and hoping for his approval. 

“Yeah, sure. It’s been a few years since I’ve authored anything but I can take a look. I stay up to date on most journals, or at least Jarvis keeps me informed,” Tony said with a non-committal nod. 

“Cool,” Darcy said. She considered him for a long moment before saying solicitously, “I get the feeling that you’re upset about the PR thing.” 

“Yeah,” Tony slowly agreed and then flashed her a depreciative smirk saying sardonically, “Come to find out the mess with PR was because the rep had this half-baked idea that you’d turn out like me.” While Tony wouldn’t readily admit it, he was embarrassed the rep had gotten under his skin. Even after all his years in public life, he apparently still had some soft spots that could be exploited. It was disconcerting that the rep had used his previous behaviors to justify her actions against Darcy, yet Tony felt he only had himself to blame.

Darcy frowned in consternation and said with a raised questioning brow, “From where I’m standing turning out like you doesn’t sound like such a bad thing.” 

Tony smiled at her in wry appreciation before saying disparagingly, “You say that now. But, there was a time I wasn’t quite so much fun to be around. Or, well, maybe too much fun, depending on your perspective. But no, I don’t think you’re in any danger of making my mistakes. Have you had any sudden urges to party or act irresponsibly?”

“Not that I’ve noticed,” Darcy pondered with a thoughtful frown, adding with eyes wide in concern, “Though I did just make a fourth pot of coffee. Give me another hour, things could change.”

Tony shot her a weak amused look, grateful for her attempt at humor and said pensively, “I never expected you to get flack for being my kid from inside the company.” He added with a rueful shrug, “Outside? Sure. It’s basically going to be open season.” Tony added tiredly, “Stark Industries should have been a safe place for you. That it wasn’t is not something I’m going to get over quickly.” Tony knew that as a Stark Darcy would inevitably have both praise and scorn heaped upon her by the public, much of it due to his own reputation. Yet, he had simply assumed she would be well received within the company and that his previous behavior had been the grounds to inflict her pain sent him to a dark, angry place. And, Tony saw the company as something akin to his child and even he saw the parallels between it and Darcy. He fully expected employees to treat each with respect and care and it was disconcerting that one had been used as an instrument to harm the other. 

The pair ate their lunch in quiet contemplation before Darcy said thoughtfully, “I guess I don’t see it as Stark Industries fault.” Adding insistently, “Sure, Cynthia represented the PR division but she was the problem. She was the one with the attitude. She was the one that made unreasonable demands. I don’t blame Stark Industries for that. I blame her.” She looked down at her meal solemnly and added, “The thing is, none of her ideas were really that bad. And maybe in a few years, I might be interested in being a professional businesswoman. But not now. I could care less about the stuff she was all wound up about. Right now I just want to finish school.” 

Tony looked up from his meal and observed, “You’re being awfully mature about this. I don’t think I would be if I were you. I’d be pissed.” He added vehemently with a sharp jab at his meal, “I am pissed.”

Darcy pondered his comment before acknowledging him saying, “I guess. I did get mad at her few times.” “But more than anything I just felt worn down. That was her thing. She sort of beat you into submission with criticism,” she explained with a resigned, accepting shrug. “I like to think she caught me off guard. This was all so new. If I had even a week to deal with things I might have had a different perspective and she wouldn’t have been able to – well – manipulate me – I guess,” Darcy said pensively. She turned to him and said sincerely, “I also don’t think you should take this so hard. None of it was your fault. You didn’t know what was going on. You didn’t tell her what to do, or even tell me what to do. It was completely outside of your control.” 

“Fair enough,” Tony conceded, before stating definitively, “But it’s my company. At the end of the day, the buck stops here.” Tony might not have been aware of the PR rep’s actions but she was working on the company’s behalf, which when it came down to it, was for him. If Tony was going to take credit for the company’s successes he had to acknowledge both the good and bad in its employees. While he recognized that the rep’s implementation might have been skewed he also had to acknowledge her motives weren’t completely wrong, no matter how uncomfortable it made him.

Darcy frowned and considered his reasoning before hesitantly agreeing, “I can see that for certain things, like corporate responsibility stuff.” She put down her lunch and turned to him to make her point adamantly contending, “But this was one person. Who you personally shut down. I think you did fine.” 

Tony looked at her with some small relief and shrugged and continued to eat his lunch, commenting, “I’m glad you feel that way. I just wished I had paid attention to the way you talked about her. Jane even called her a witch but I didn’t follow up on it. It just didn’t register.” 

“Well, I could have said something. Jane told me too. So again, not your fault,” Darcy argued, determined to convince Tony he wasn’t responsible for her or the PR rep’s behavior. 

Tony responded with a shrug and slowly ate his lunch. Willing to concede the argument, for now, Darcy looked over at the project he was working on when she came in and asked hopefully, “Are you working on a new Iron Man exoskeleton?”

Perking up at her question Tony asked expectantly, “Do you want to see it?”

“Yes,” Darcy said eyes lighting up with excitement as she had been hoping since she had moved into the tower that one day Tony would show her how he built his suits. 

Tony began to set his lunch aside and get up when Darcy gestured to him to sit back down saying exasperated, “You can show me after you finish your lunch. We can hang out the rest of the day if you want to.”

“What about your thesis?” Tony asked as he hurriedly began to finish his meal. 

“Thesis vs. Iron Man armor? It’s no contest,” Darcy said incredulously adding definitively, “My thesis can wait.”


	20. Let's Make a Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy makes a deal with the paparazzi. Tony gets to be a dad. Darcy hits some more Stark milestones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to thestanceyg for being so generous with your time and beta reading. The effort you put into brainstorming with me is not something I can ever repay. 
> 
>  
> 
> For the curious:  
> Calvin Harris acoustic cover of We Found Love  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I3kgbBp6PY&start_radio=1&list=RD6I3kgbBp6PY

There was something satisfying about concentrating on a project for an entire night no matter how incoherent Darcy felt now, she was glad she had stayed up. A sense of accomplishment settled over her as she stretched and rubbed her eyes and thought about how much she had gotten done. Glancing over at Jane who was consulting her notes and frantically writing on a whiteboard Darcy had to smirk. She could tell Jane was going to crash soon. She had the telltale jitters in her stance. Jane’s unconscious movement was just about all that was keeping her awake. They had pulled a second all-nighter in a four day window and not only did she feel exhausted Darcy was starting to feel as if she were trapped in the sterile glass-enclosed lab. While she knew they needed sleep both she and Jane also needed to eat as they had been mainlining coffee all night. Ready to take a break Darcy considered her options at 6:30 on a Sunday morning. She hesitated but determinedly went down to her apartment to pick up her jacket and anxiously made her way down to security level. 

While repeatedly assured by Tony that security would be there whenever she needed them, Darcy was uncertain about just showing up to ask for an escort. The subtle disapproval from the guards on the day she had gone to coffee with Cynthia made her hesitate. Bracing herself Darcy nervously inquired if someone was available and two large men readily pulled on their overcoats and politely asked where she would like to go. Surprised at how easily they accommodated her, Darcy self-consciously followed them to the elevator quietly relieved everything had been so effortless. 

Upon exiting the building Darcy braced herself only to find the tower plaza empty except for a few pigeons. The streets were virtually deserted and as they walked past the barricades aligning the sidewalk Darcy laughed self-consciously, saying sheepishly, “Well, this is underwhelming. You guys can go back if you want to. It doesn’t look like I need you after all.”

“I think it’s best if we stay with you Miss Lewis,” Brady, said with a slight southern accent. 

Darcy accepted his suggestion with a nod saying apologetically, “I probably could have made it on my own. But - well – the last time I went out it was a zoo.”

“It’s fine. Even if it is Sunday morning, you never know what could happen. It's better we’re with you,” Brady observed.

“I need to remember this though. Apparently, even the paparazzi sleep,” Darcy said amused.

“True,” Washington readily agreed in a deep baritone. He urged her, “But it’s best if you always take precautions, Miss Lewis.”

“Ok, you guys don’t need to call me Miss Lewis. It's just Darcy,” Darcy declared with a friendly smile.

“Thank you, but it has to be Miss Lewis,” Washington politely denied her with a rumble. 

“Oh, come on. What if I promise not to get into any trouble? I don’t even have my taser anymore,” Darcy bargained playfully.

“We generally try to avoid trouble,” Washington observed jovially before asking in mild concern, “Do you usually carry a taser?”

“I used to. Until it got confiscated,” Darcy shared with a petulant frown. 

“You won’t need one if we’re with you,” he assured her, adding worriedly, “You should know they are illegal in New York City.”

“Oh, I know,” Darcy nonchalantly informed him as they arrived at the diner. Quickly picking up the order she’d called in, Darcy turned to the two men at the door asking, “Hey guys want some coffee? My treat.”

“We really can’t, Miss Lewis,” Brady politely replied. 

“Oh come on. It’s cold out and there’s no one around, have some coffee,” Darcy coaxed him with a warm inviting smile. 

The men glanced at one another, and Brady said, “It’s generous of you but we can’t carry it.”

“I can carry it. That’s what carriers are for. Besides coffee is a necessity at this god-awful hour of the morning,” Darcy declared, as she asked the waitress for a second carrier. Stepping away from the counter Darcy cajoled the two men asking, “Is coffee a good enough bribe to get you to call me Darcy?”

“I’m afraid it’s still going to be Miss Lewis, no matter how good the coffee is,” Washington rumbled apologetically, smiling, as he held the door for her. 

Darcy gave a dramatic sigh and said with mock aggravation, “We’ll work on it.” Sandwiched between the two hulking men Darcy tilted her head back and looking up at them asked, “You guys are huge, were you football players or Special Forces or something in a previous life?”

The men glanced at one another and Brady informed her solemnly, “Navy Seal ma’am. Washington here was a green beret.”

“Wow,” Darcy exclaimed impressed. “Ok then. You’re both a little overqualified to walk me to the diner.”

“It’s what we’re here for,” Brady assured her, adding with pride, “We’re part of Miss Potts lead team. We go wherever she goes and when she’s in the building we rotate with the rest of the staff.”

As they approached the tower a man quickly approached them and began taking pictures, skipping to the side as Washington gestured him away. He bounced along next to them, saying playfully, “Out early Darcy. What’s that you have?”

“Man, why aren’t you in bed? It’s Sunday morning,” Darcy protested in exasperation, as she kept walking, letting Brady get between her and the photographer.

“Need to be up early to see you beautiful,” the photographer said with a leer as his camera snapped. 

Darcy laughed entertained and asked incredulously, “Does that even work on anyone?"

“This might be a first,” the photographer conceded, saying lightheartedly, “You’re talking to me aren’t you?”

“Touché,” Darcy drawled. Arriving at the tower, she gestured it with one of her coffee carriers and said, “Well, we’re here. You can go back to bed. I don’t plan on leaving for the rest of the day.” 

As the guards guided her through the tower’s atrium Darcy said apologetically, “Sorry, I know I’m not supposed to talk to the paparazzi, but it was just one guy.”

“You’re fine. You can talk to the photographers if you want. It doesn’t bother us,” Washington assured her unconcerned.

“I thought I was supposed to ignore them?” Darcy asked surprised, looking between the two guards for an explanation as she entered the elevator.

“You can do as you please. Mr. Stark usually talks to photographers. Miss Potts generally doesn’t. It’s up to you,” Washington responded, cordially. 

As the doors opened on the security floor Brady turned to Darcy saying warmly, “If you need us, someone will always be in security.” He added in warning, “You should know we were lucky this morning. Word will spread that you went out early so chances are someone will be waiting for you next time.” 

Taking the elevator up to the labs Darcy decided that she had worried about security for nothing and that her foray into using an escort had gone exceptionally well. She wondered if her less than a warm introduction to security reflected more on Cynthia than the guards themselves. 

Returning to the labs, Darcy coaxed Jane to eat something and gave her decaf coffee, knowing at this point the scientist would never know the difference. Darcy planned going to bed within the next two hours and needed Jane to crash as well. Assured Jane was settled Darcy headed up to Tony’s workshop hoping she could convince him to take a break for breakfast as well. He was soldiering something when she came in but looked up when Jarvis turned down his music. Taking off his goggles, Tony glanced at the atomic clock on the wall and asked perplexed, “What are you doing here at 7 o’clock on a Sunday?” 

“Two bad little scientists I know didn’t go to bed last night,” Darcy said in mock annoyance, only to admit, “I can’t point fingers. I was up all night writing. I brought you breakfast.” 

“Excellent. Please tell me you took security,” Tony said as he dove into the proffered bag to find a breakfast sandwich. 

“I took security,” Darcy confirmed with a nod, adding, “The paparazzi didn’t show up until we got back. It was one guy and he was completely harmless. I probably could have gone out alone.” She perched on a stool, opening up her breakfast sandwich saying, exasperated, “It’s ridiculous making two guys follow me around for one photographer. They were great but I don’t need Pepper’s huge guards for that.” 

“You got some of Pepper’s guys?” Tony asked thoughtfully, sipping his coffee, not noticing it was decaf. He added, “Yeah, they’re big. We need to line up some regular guys for you, too.”

“Is that really necessary?” Darcy asked mildly protested, eating her sandwich. 

“Darcy, if you want to go out you need security,” Tony stated adamantly, adding mildly exasperated, “This might be a tower, but you aren’t locked up in it. Get out. Live your life. There’s a chance the craziness will die down if you’re around more – you’ll be less interesting.” 

“I never thought about it that way,” Darcy said considering, taking a slow sip of her decaf coffee, resigned she would have to settle for it if she planned to sleep yet that morning. 

“Well, it won’t happen overnight. Photographers will still follow you but over time they might let up,” Tony said with an unconcerned shrug.  


Finishing breakfast Darcy took some time to coax Tony into going to bed before giving up and going to dig Jane out of the lab. Darcy hoped the carbohydrates and protein from breakfast would mix with her existing exhaustion and push Jane into crashing sooner rather than later.  


After Darcy left Tony got back to work thinking about the press’ continued interest in Darcy. He had hoped it would taper off as two weeks had passed and other news stories should have taken its place. But he had to concede that as much as he was in the news recently it was hardly a surprise people were interested in other aspects of his life. And, even he had to admit Darcy’s story was unique. There was nothing like an orphan suddenly becoming a billionaire’s daughter to capture people’s attention. He worried though how Darcy would fare under constant scrutiny and hoped her strong personality would see her through. It would be essential that she learn how to handle the press and grow a thick skin because the writing was on the wall and chances were that wherever she went, whatever she did, whatever she said, it would be fodder for the media. Now that she had been identified as a Stark it was unlikely she would ever escape the harsh light of celebrity. 

 

**********

 

The following morning Darcy thought long and hard about what she was going to wear for the day. Realizing Cynthia had gotten into her head, Darcy dismissed the idea that she needed to dress up and turned away from the new clothes in her closet. Darcy decided she was going to treat the day like any other and put on her old jeans, beat up tennis shoes, favorite red sweater, and a knit cap. Straightening her glasses Darcy puckered up and put on her red lipstick, feeling a surge of confidence that always accompanied it. Slipping her ruby pendant over her head, Darcy shrugged into her jacket and headed to the security level. 

Happily, she found Washington and Brady were on call and they were more than willing to escort her to Gregory’s for her usual coffee run. Leaving the tower was less intimidating after the previous day’s banal experience so Darcy wasn’t nearly as anxious as the front doors opened. They were greeted by only a handful of photographers cluttering the sidewalk who excitedly began to take pictures as soon as she neared the barricade. Stopping 6 feet from them Darcy took a deep breath, and yelled out, “Hey guys, can you take a minute? Quick break ok? I want to talk to you!”

The sound of shutters snapping gradually stopped as the photographers lowered their cameras and looked at her in astonishment. Darcy grinned and gave them a jaunty little wave saying, “Hi! Thanks. I wanted to talk to you. I see you here all the time. It’s not necessary.” Darcy smiled brightly and confidently proposed, “I’ll make you a deal, ok? I’ll answer 3 questions right now. And then I’m going to go get coffee and if none of you follow me and wait for me to get back, I’ll answer 5 more questions. And then I promise I won’t leave the tower for the rest of the day so you can go do something else. Now, do we have a deal?”

There was a moment of stunned silence before the photographers greeted Darcy’s suggestion with a chorus of disbelief, “Are you serious? You’re kidding. You expect us to believe that?”

“Ok, so we need to develop some trust. I can understand that,” Darcy conceded with an understanding nod. “I am completely serious. If this works out today I can pretty much guarantee I’ll be going on coffee runs every morning,” she assured them. She frowned and cautioned them, “But you have to play by my rules. Which means you don’t follow me. You wait here. I answer 3 questions of my choosing before I go and 5 questions of my choosing when I come back.” Putting her arms out in supplication she asked, “What do you say, fellas? Sounds like a pretty good deal doesn’t it?” 

“You’re serious?” One of the photographers asked skeptically. 

“Yes, I’m serious. And, I won’t count that as a question,” Darcy retorted with a smile before turning to the men gathered before her asking expectantly, “Now, who has a question?”

Astonished, it took the photographers a moment to shake off their surprise and throw out questions. Darcy chose to answer the more benign inquiries from the many put forth.

“Was the Lamborghini your first big purchase?” 

“I didn’t buy it, it was a gift.”

“What have you bought so far?”

“Ew, nothing exciting. Just some clothes.”

“When did you find out Stark was your father?”

“I’m not answering personal questions.”

“Aw come on, you said you’d answer questions.”

“Yes, I did – of my choosing,” Darcy conceded, adding briskly, “You guys have one more question left – make it a good one!”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going over to Gregory’s Coffee over on 46th,” Darcy announced, playfully chastising them, “To which you are not invited. But if you get a chance you should try their donuts, they’re amazing.” She paused for a moment, evaluating the men standing before her and gave them a brisk, cheerful nod saying, “Now, I’m going to go with these nice, big men and you guys are going to stay here. I’ll be back in 20 minutes and I’ll answer 5 more questions. If someone follows me – I’m not answering questions.” She finished by pointing at them accusatorily and saying in mocking seriousness, “Stay here!” 

After issuing her warning the snap of camera shutters increased as Darcy marched past the barricade pressed between Washington and Brady. Moments later they were clear and the noise level noticeably decreased. Darcy looked to the left and to the right, unable to see past Washington and asked hopefully, “Did it work?”

Both men were quiet for a moment before Brady said in surprise, his southern twang strengthening, “I’ll be. Washington you got any up there?”

“No, all clear,” Washington responded with an incredulous rumble. 

Keeping pace, sandwiched between the two men, Darcy grinned excitedly. Her idea was just five minutes old, and she knew it could still fall apart, but she was hopeful. They arrived at the coffee shop without incident and Darcy once again purchased coffee for her guards, along with picking up Tony and Jane’s usual. They had another uneventful walk back to the tower and as they neared the barricade the sound of cameras once again filled the air along with the din of questions. After Darcy entered the tower’s plaza she turned to the photographers lined up on the sidewalk and grinned, happily exclaiming, “Thank you! Good job! And for holding up your part of the deal I’ll answer 1 extra question this morning because I believe in positive reinforcement. So who has a question?”

As questions rang out Darcy beamed and began fielding them with good humor, ignoring anything too personal. She revealed that cinnamon lattes were her favorite coffee drink and that Tony drank black coffee. She admitted she had no idea how much the Lamborghini had cost but pointed out you weren’t supposed to ask those sorts of questions about gifts. She explained while she didn’t have a favorite color, she definitely liked red. When asked if she was wearing any specific designer she laughed and said, no, she didn’t do designers. Not unless Old Navy could be considered designer. 

As the fifth question finished Darcy yelled out “That was five questions guys. This morning you get one more as a special reward. So make it a good one!” She was quickly besieged with questions but finally sorted one out and yelled back, “My favorite song at the moment? We Found Love – covered by Calvin Harris, he does a nice job on Rihanna’s single.” Taking a breath she looked over the crowd and called out, “That’s it, fellas. I’m going to work now. I promise I won’t leave the building again for the rest of the day - so go do something else! We can do this again tomorrow morning!” Darcy grinned and gave the photographers cheery wave before retreating to the tower. 

Once in the atrium Darcy burst out excitedly laughing, energized by what had just occurred saying, “Oh my god. It worked! I can’t believe it. It worked!”

“Ma’am, I’ve seen a lot of things but I’ve never seen that. I don’t know how you did it,” Washington observed in disbelief.

“Are you really going to do that every morning Miss Lewis?” Brady asked incredulously as he held the elevator door open.

“As long as they hold up their end of the bargain and don’t follow us, sure,” Darcy confirmed happily, adding optimistically, “If one of them does, they all pay the price. Hopefully, they can self-police and everyone wins.” 

Darcy was in a jubilant mood all morning as she delivered Tony and Jane’s coffee and settled in to work on her thesis. She couldn’t believe her crazy idea had worked. Darcy knew its success probably had a lot to do with how few photographers were present and could only hope that if more joined the group the next day they’d follow the rules too. She had fun answering questions and interacting with the photographers. It felt more normal then just walking past and ignoring them. As pleased as she was with the morning’s outcome Darcy recognized her idea could backfire. By stopping to answer questions, it might actually keep interest in her alive instead of causing her to become boring, but Darcy hoped it worked out in her favor. 

 

At lunch Tony strolled into the lab with a puzzled look on his face as he scrolled through his phone, commenting exasperated, “You’re trending on Twitter again. TMZ and a few other gossip sites are running stories. They have video of you talking to the paparazzi.” He looked up from his phone asking disbelievingly, “Did you really stop and talk to the guys hanging out on the sidewalk? That’s crazy. I talk to them but even I don’t just stand there and give off the cuff interviews.” 

Looking up at Tony from her computer Darcy grinned saying proudly, “It worked! I made them a deal. I’ll answer 3 questions before I go get coffee and 5 when I get back if they don’t follow me.” “Who knows if it will work again,” she said with an unconcerned shrug, as she saved her document. 

Tony shook his head in amusement, baffled by Darcy’s audacity. He continued to swipe through his phone and commented curiously, “So, apparently this guy you mentioned this morning– Calvin Harris – is getting a ton of play because of it. Who is he?”

“Really?” Darcy asked looking up in surprise, adding enthusiastically, “He’s really good. He does acoustic stuff. He covered Rihanna’s We Found Love.”

“Well, you just made his day,” Tony observed. Leaning against the counter across from her he asked, “So are you really going to answer questions every day? That could get old fast.” 

“As long as they follow the rules. I will. I’m hoping, like you said, if I’m around a lot I’ll become boring and they’ll go someplace else,” Darcy said optimistically.

“That’s possible,” Tony conceded with a thoughtful nod, only to caution her saying, “Or, access could make you more interesting. That could happen too.”

“I’m going to hope for the best,” Darcy said unconcerned, beginning to bookmark her resource books.

Putting his phone away Tony said, “Hey, I finished reading your paper.” “You used some great examples in your discussion on thermodynamics. Very creative,” he complimented, adding, “I had a few notes. Jarvis should be able to transfer them to your tablet.”

“Great. Thank you! I’ll take a look after lunch,” Darcy said appreciatively. “Thank god the project I have to go with this paper is finished. As soon as I wrap it up I need to finish my second one.” As she stacked her books, Darcy said exasperated, “I know I decided to do both masters at the same time to save money but this has been insane. All I do is eat, sleep and write and as it is I’m not getting much sleep.”

“You could get an extension, couldn’t you? If you needed it?” Tony asked concerned.

“Sure, but why bother? Might as well push through and get it done,” Darcy said unworriedly as she continued to clear her desk.

“Fair enough,” Tony conceded with a nod, offering, “I get it, I did all mine at the same time.”

Darcy looked up at him suddenly, asking in amazement, “Three of them, right? How old were you?!”

“Finished them when I was 19,” Tony said nonchalantly.

“Then you had your PhDs by the time you were my age,” Darcy stated impressed.

“Just one. The other two took a bit longer,” Tony said with a modest shrug. 

“And, you took over running Stark Industries, right? When you were 21?” Darcy asked in disbelief. She added incredulously, “Tony, that must have been insane.”

“Pretty much,” Tony casually confirmed, explaining, “I split my time between the office and the workshop. Obie, my dad’s business partner, took care of a lot of the business still but I was getting my feet wet.” Adding with a chagrined smirk, “Though I spent my semester breaks partying. It’s mostly a blur.” Suddenly a thoughtful expression crossed his face and Tony looked at Darcy with a small smile saying pleased, “Which is where you come in, I think.” 

“Oh, yeah. That’s right,” Darcy said considering him for a moment. She shook her head and said in awe, “I don’t know how you did all that by the time you were 21. I feel like I’m barely doing anything in comparison. You give the term prodigy a whole new meaning.”

“Not really,” Tony denied with a disparaging smile saying, “You need meet Bruce when he gets back. He has seven PhDs.”

“Bruce?”

“Bruce Banner. He’s in Mumbai right now setting up a clinic. He should be back soon. Specializes in nuclear physics - gamma radiation. He’s brilliant. He’ll be working here too,” Tony explained, gesturing to the neighboring lab.

“Can you imagine having that many PhDs? To be able to go to school that long?” Darcy asked in wide-eyed wonder, exclaiming, “My god. I can’t imagine how much he owes in student loans.”

“First, Bruce was government contracted for a lot of those years. Chances are most were paid for,” Tony explained, “And second, Darcy, if you want to keep going to school you should. There’s nothing stopping you,” he said confidently.

Darcy snorted in disbelief, saying sarcastically, “Except, you know. I already have student loans up to my eyeballs. I’ll be paying them off for the rest of my life as it is.”

Tony frowned and mildly reprimanded her saying, “Darcy.”

“What?” Darcy looked up at him surprised at his censure. 

Tony hesitated, evaluating her for a moment before saying mildly apprehensive, “I think you and I need to have a talk. Which I’ve been avoiding, but we obviously need to have.”

“What?” Darcy repeated perplexed.

“Money will never be an issue again,” Tony stated with finality. “If you let me I’d pay off your student loans right now. And, if you’re worried about tuition don’t be. I’ll cover it. Tuition is something I can do, easily,” he solemnly stated.

“Tony, I didn’t bring up my student loans to get you to pay them and I don’t need you to pay my tuition,” Darcy protested. 

“I know that. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and wasn’t sure how to bring it up,” Tony explained anxiously. “I won’t pay off your student loans if you don’t want me too,” he conceded begrudgingly. Tony continued, insisting adamantly, “But, money should not hold you back from getting another degree. It’s not something you’ll ever need to worry about again. You could go to school for the rest of your life if you wanted to.”

“That’s generous of you but-” Darcy said.

“Let me do this?” Tony impeached, adding seriously, “As your father. It’s my responsibility. I should be able to pay your tuition. And, I like the idea. It’s a small way of acknowledging how hard you’ve worked. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

“Tony -” Darcy said quietly, moved by his heartfelt entreaty.

“Just apply to another program,” Tony pressed, cajoling her with an expectant smile, “You’ve already got your eye on something, right?”

Darcy looked at him with mild exasperation, glancing away she conceded petulantly, “Yes.”

“I knew it. Apply. If money is the only thing stopping you – just do it,” Tony encouraged her excitedly. He leaned forward eagerly asking, “What were you thinking about?”

Ducking away shyly, Darcy shot him an exasperated smile. Fully aware he might not appreciate her choice and she crossed her arms and said defensively, “As soon as I finish my political science degree, I was thinking about getting my masters in international affairs. Columbia has an amazing program.”

Pained, Tony grinned at her and huffed in mock annoyance, “Of course, you were.” 

“Hey, there is more to life than hard science,” Darcy protested, adding in condemnation, “You and Jane are such snobs.” 

“It’s fine,” Tony assured her waving her off in amusement, adding, “Pepper has a masters in international relations on top of her MBA. I’m certainly not going to belittle that.” 

“She does? I knew I liked her for a reason!” Darcy exclaimed happily with a grin.

“So you’re going to apply, right?” Tony cajoled her.

“I’ll think about it,” Darcy begrudgingly conceded, with a reluctant smile. 

“Good. I’m not above siccing Pepper on you. If she finds out you want a masters in international affairs, you’ll never hear the end of it,” Tony playfully threatened. 

“Where did she go?” Darcy asked curiously.

“She got them both at UCLA. You know if you wanted to go out there, I’ve got a place right on the beach,” Tony offered. “Not that I want you to leave NY but you have options. I’ve got a condo in DC if you’re thinking about Georgetown. I have a place in Boston, too. I’m sure Harvard has a program. And, MIT is my alma mater. Name the program – and you’re in,” he said enthusiastically, quickly warming to the idea of Darcy going back to school. 

“Oh my god,” Darcy said with a delighted grin, “You’re totally going to be one of those parents that brag about where their kid got in, aren’t you? I bet you want a university sweatshirt.” She smirked at him saying, “I promise to get you a school bumper sticker so you can put in on the back of the Bugatti.”

Horrified, Tony denied, “What? No!” 

“Yes. I can totally see it,” Darcy maintained, happily teasing him, “You are so going to be a booster parent. I bet you get season tickets to something. Football? Basketball?” 

“I will put a Culver decal on the back window of the Lamborghini. Don’t tempt me. I will do it,” Tony threatened.

Darcy cackled as she pulled out menus for lunch, enjoying making Tony squirm. 

Tony weathered Darcy’s teasing with good humor knowing she had accepted his proposition. She would continue going to school and he would happily pay her tuition. Tony counted the success of their conversation as a huge win for their father-daughter relationship. He knew he still had some significant hurdles to overcome in getting Darcy comfortable with his money but Tony felt like he was making progress.

 

**********

 

Moving between three holographs Tony was focused on his design and Jarvis’ unexpected interruption jarred him from his thoughts. “Sir, I believe you need to be aware of a situation at reception.”

“Jarvis? What could possibly be going on there that I need to know about?” Tony asked incredulously already turning his attention back to the schematics before him. 

“There is currently a process server at reception attempting to reach Miss Lewis to give her notice that she is being sued. Desk staff is contacting legal, but I thought you would want to be made aware of the situation as soon as possible,” Jarvis explained.

“Great,” Tony said with a tired sigh. He had a sinking feeling he knew exactly why Darcy was being sued. The incident with the coffee was not going to just go away. Tony gestured, closing out the holographs he was working on and resigned, went to legal.

Visiting legal twice in two weeks was not a new record Tony was happy about but he felt he needed to know the particulars of the case before he spoke with Darcy. Tony made his way to Hansen’s office, to find two other attorneys going over the complaint. “So Darcy’s first lawsuit? Don’t tell me. It’s either assault or battery. For the coffee spill, right?” Tony groused as he dropped into the chair across from Hansen’s desk. 

“Good afternoon,” Mike Hansen greeted Tony, unsurprised to see him. “You are correct. A civil suit for battery was filed this morning,” he confirmed adding, with mild condensation, “They’re asking for one million in damages. Bodily injury, missed employment and property damage.” Gesturing to the two attorneys leaving the office Hansen said, “As you can see Civil is already reviewing the complaint.”

“This is a bullshit case right? I mean a million for coffee? They just want a settlement. How much to make this go away?” Tony asked in annoyance.

“Without speaking with Miss Lewis and gathering evidence it is difficult to predict the best recourse at this time. However, it would set a bad precedent to settle a frivolous case,” Hansen cautioned. Confidently adding, “We have greater resources and should be able to handle this case with little difficulty. It’s possible we can file a motion to dismiss, once we review the complaint.”

“Do whatever it takes to kill this thing. I can tell you now Darcy is going to insist that she didn’t throw that coffee,” Tony stated with certainty, vividly recalling her disputing the very idea. 

“Very well,” Hansen confirmed, adding respectfully, “Please ask Miss Lewis to contact us to arrange an interview. We will need an hour of her time.” He glanced down at some notes on his desk saying, “In the meantime, we will review security tapes and identify the media outlets in attendance and initiate subpoenas to gather evidence.” Looking up at Hansen relaxed slightly and said confidently, “I wouldn’t worry about this Tony. We’ll get this taken care of.” 

“Good. The last thing Darcy needs is to be deposed by some two-bit lawyer out to make a quick buck,” Tony said aggravated by the very idea.

“It is unlikely this case will progress that far. We will keep you abreast of the situation as it develops,” Hansen assured him, obviously not concerned. 

“Do that. I’ll talk to Darcy,” Tony said with a nod as he began to stand up.

“If you have a moment could we review the updates we’ve made to your will?” Hansen asked expectantly.

“Tell you what, email me. I’ll go over them with Pepper tonight and get back to you,” Tony assured him.

“Very well. Have you made any progress with Miss Lewis? We have yet to assign her trust,” Hansen reminded him.

“Yeah, that’s still a work in progress. Darcy’s in the middle of her masters. I think we need to let her get through them before we drop anything else on her,” Tony said thoughtfully.

“As you wish. I’ll email you. Please contact me if you have any questions about the allocations we’ve made. We can finalize your new will this week if you agree to everything,” Hansen said.

“I’ll get back to you,” Tony said as he left the office, already thinking about how he was going to approach Darcy with the news she was being sued.

 

As Tony strolled into the lab he randomly said, “I really need to make some merit badges for you.” 

Darcy looked up from her computer with a confused frown and said perplexed, “Merit badges? I haven’t done anything. I don’t think?”

“You hit another Stark milestone. Your first lawsuit,” Tony said in mock congratulations. “Remember the coffee you didn’t throw? A civil case for battery was filed against you this morning,” Tony explained indifferently as he leaned against the counter across from her. 

“I’m getting sued for that? Darcy said incredulously, looking at him in dismay. 

“They’re asking for a million in damages,” Tony informed her, bracing himself for her response. 

“A million dollars?” Darcy squawked in disbelief.

“Don’t worry about it. Legal has an entire division that does nothing but handle my civil cases,” Tony assured her, adding, “They just need to talk to you about what happened.”

“Darcy is getting sued for a million dollars?” Jane asked in shock, looking up from some calculations.

“Why would anyone sue over spilled coffee?” Darcy asked in annoyance, adding perturbed, “It wasn’t even that hot.”

“Yeah. It’s a thing. You’re a Stark,” Tony said with an unconcerned shrug, explaining, “People will sue if they think there is money to be had.”

“But, I don’t have any money,” Darcy protested vehemently.

“Well, people think you do,” Tony pointed out as if it were obvious. 

“So if I had spilled that coffee three weeks ago no one would have done anything but now I’m getting sued?” Darcy demanded incredulously.

“Yep, that’s how it works,” Tony confirmed cynically.

“Well, that sucks,” Darcy declared aggravated. 

“Can they sue her if she doesn’t have any money?” Jane asked uncertainly.

“Sure. Inability to pay restitution is an argument she can make after the fact if they’re able to prove their case. Which they won’t,” Tony said contemptuously. Waving dismissively he added unconcerned, “Legal takes care of this sort of thing all the time. Most of the time I never even hear about it. Since this is your first case, I thought I’d better break the news.”

“Thanks, I guess? I still can’t believe I’m getting sued for a million dollars. I have like three hundred dollars in my checking account,” Darcy said with a disbelieving laugh. 

Tony grimaced at Darcy’s easy admittance of how little she had. He fought the urge to immediately offer to fix that knowing it would not be well received. He easily had $1,000 in his wallet. He could transfer a few million dollars into her account in minutes. Not to mention the trust he had yet to tell her about. Considering her dismay over being sued for a million dollars Tony hated to think how Darcy would react to the millions just waiting for her. “Yeah, that will barely cover the fees for filing the paperwork,” Tony commented sardonically, wanting to say more about her situation but held back. Instead, he reassured her, “Just give legal a call and they’ll take care of everything.”

“Ok. If you say so. I still can’t believe I’m getting sued. It’s crazy,” Darcy said in disgruntled amazement.

“Think of it as initiation. I swear I’m going to make you a merit badge of every Stark milestone you hit,” Tony flippantly threatened. 

“I never did get all of my Girl Scout badges,” Darcy admitted with an exasperated grin, playing along.

“We can start a club,” Tony declared expansively. “It’ll be pretty exclusive. Just two members. The elite of the elite,” he gleefully assured her.

“Hey, Jane did you hear that? I’m joining an elite club. I’m special!” Darcy playfully announced. 

“You’re special alright,” Jane, good-naturedly grumbled going back to her calculations.

As Tony returned to his workshop he thought Darcy had taken the news she was being sued rather well. He was grateful she didn’t question what legal was doing. As sensitive as she was to money Tony was glad she had no idea just how expensive lawsuits could be. He was glad to avoid the headache of that conversation. There were times her occasional naiveté in how the greater world worked played in his favor. Tony decided Darcy could wait to learn some of the more expensive and harder lessons later, once she became more acclimated to being a Stark.


	21. Brother From Another Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy can't escape her past. Tony gets a visit from an old friend who is also the voice of reason he might have been needing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to thestancyg for proofreading but more importantly for brainstorming story ideas. It cannot be stressed enough that this story has improved substantially due to your input.

Tuesday morning dawned sunny and clear. The bright early spring day put a bounce in Darcy’s step as she left the lab to go on her coffee run. She was cautiously hopeful that the previous day would repeat itself and her Let’s Make a Deal plan with the paparazzi would hold. She wanted her interaction with them to become simple and painless. Swinging by security Darcy picked up Brady and Washington and they made their way to the tower plaza. They were greeted by a crush of photographers and could barely hear over the racket of camera shutters snapping. Eventually, the noise lessened and Darcy was able to answer three benign questions and repeat her promise that if none of them followed she would return and answer additional questions. Unfortunately, the deal didn’t hold up as Darcy was chased to and from the coffee shop. Arriving back at the sidewalk barricade Darcy turned to face the paparazzi and yelled out in disappointment, “You need to self-police fellas. We’ll try this again tomorrow. I’m going to work, so go do something else. I won’t leave the tower again, I promise!”

For the next few days a pack of photographers followed Darcy as she went on her coffee runs but by the end of the week, the crowd was cut in half. By the end of the second week the crowd of photographers was reduced further and on a bright, crisp Friday morning the group actually waited for Darcy to return. She entered the tower plaza triumphantly and readily answered questions, playful talking to the photographers, pointing out how much easier this was for everyone. Darcy returned to the lab hopeful that her continual, predictable presence was lessening her notoriety and that interest would eventually wane. 

During the second week of Darcy’s Let’s Make a Deal plan she also met her new personal security guards. Jason Lee was a former navy seal and Mark Wilson a former New York City police officer. While they insisted on calling her Miss Lewis they were warm and friendly and quickly gained her trust. Darcy found them to be protective but unintrusive. They were unperturbed by her decision to negotiate with the paparazzi and readily stepped back and let her handle them as she saw fit. 

At the beginning of week three of the Let’s Make a Deal Plan, Happy and her guards met her at the security office with grim news. The press in the plaza was as thick as the day the original story broke. They counseled her not to go out until they could determine what had caused the sudden renewed interest. Disappointed and not a little disturbed Darcy returned to the labs to find both Tony and Pepper arriving as well.

“Oh, thank god,” Pepper breathed out as soon as she saw Darcy, “I was afraid we’d miss you.”

“What’s going on? There are a million photographers in the plaza,” Darcy said in mild consternation as she led them into the lab. 

“Fox News broke the story about an hour ago,” Tony said aggrieved, looking at her worriedly he explained, “They’re reporting you were involved in a sexual harassment case. Of course, they’re implying the charges were against you. And, basically saying, what can you expect? Since you’re a Stark.” 

“Great,” Darcy said sarcastically, as she dumped her coat on her desk, not particularly surprised that her case had come to light now that she was under so much scrutiny. Crossing her arms she turned to the couple saying defiantly, “It’s true though. I filed a sexual harassment complaint against a TA when I was in undergrad.”

“I expected it was something like that,” Pepper said sympathetically, reaching out to comfort Darcy she asked kindly, “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” Darcy said dispirited as her postured relaxed, responding to the redhead’s gentle concern. 

With an understanding nod, Pepper asked solicitously, “How was the case handled?”

Darcy shrugged indifferently saying, “The university fired the guy after an investigation. The dean of the engineering school was bent out of shape over me filing the grievance because they’d never had a complaint before, but they took care of it.”

“Do you know what happened to the guy? Would he have said anything?” Tony asked crossing his arms in consternation.

“I don’t know. I can’t imagine he would. It would just make him look bad,” Darcy said uncertainly. Glancing between the couple she asked hesitantly, “So now what do we do?”

“Now we track that guy down,” Tony growled out. 

Pepper reached out and grasped Tony’s arm, to calm him and turned to Darcy saying decisively, “I’ll ask Mike Hansen to look into things. Legal will contact the school. But they’ll most likely deny any involvement.” She frowned considering the situation saying, “And, Tony’s right. I’ll ask Mike to look into tracking down the TA.” Pepper gave a resigned sigh saying mildly frustrated, “While it won’t do any good, legal will also contact Fox to ask for their source. Right now Fox is sighting their source as a former associate of yours.” 

“Which means it could be anyone,” Tony groused as he stepped away agitated. With a frustrated grimace, he said, “The SHIELD file mentioned you had trouble with the engineering department. If anyone put a little effort into it they could have dug this up. Although, if this was coming from the SHIELD file you’d think ABC would be breaking the story, not Fox.”

Disgruntled Darcy sank into her desk chair and said irritably, “This happened three years ago. There can’t be that many people around who remember.” Crossing her arms Darcy said cynically, “Although, anyone still around would be willing to gossip. I wasn’t exactly the most popular person in the department after I shot down most of the guys in it. They all seemed to think big boobs meant easy and didn’t appreciate my take no prisoner’s attitude in classes once it became clear no one was going to credit me with having a brain.” 

Pepper winced in sympathy and worriedly asked, “So we have no idea where this is coming from?”

“None,” Darcy said, shaking her head helplessly. 

“Great,” Tony said humorlessly, looking between the two women in concern, as he walked back toward Darcy’s desk.

Pepper stood to the side and considered Tony for a moment before turning to Darcy saying carefully, “Public relations has received numerous requests for comment. I’ve put them off for now. If you want, we could issue a statement.” She gently suggested, “We can just explain you filed a grievance against a university employee when you were in undergrad and that the school handled it. The story should drop in a day or two, as long as nothing else comes to light.” Pepper hesitated and asked unhappily, “I hate to ask, but is there anything else that can come up?”

“I don’t think so,” Darcy answered uncertainly, adding, “The university took care of it. Only a few people knew the details. I doubt any of them would say anything.” 

Pepper nodded in understanding and said, “At this point, we’re just going to have to hope for the best. Do you want PR to issue a statement?” 

“Yes. If we don’t it looks like I’m guilty,” Darcy said agitated, looking between the couple for confirmation it was the right decision. 

Tony nodded only to gripe, “Of course, Fox is going to keep their sleazier version no matter what we say.” 

Pepper placed her hand on Darcy’s shoulder and giving her a small comforting smile she said, “Try not to worry about this. I’ll work on the statement with public relations and we’ll put something out soon.”

Tony walked toward the windows and looking down on the plaza and suggested sarcastically, “You might want to stay in the tower for the next day or two.”

“Trust me, there is no way I’m going out there. Not after the last time, there were that many photographers in the plaza,” Darcy adamantly agreed, vividly recalling her first traumatic run-in with the press.

As the couple left to get on with their day, Darcy set about making a fresh pot of coffee, knowing Jane would want some when she came in. She considered just who could have alerted the press to her case but in the end, there were just too many possibilities to narrow it down to one likely candidate. The entire situation was unsettling because it brought home how much scrutiny she was under. Something that had happened three years ago was suddenly front page news. While Darcy had gotten a baptism by fire from the press with the initial report a few weeks ago, this was a reminder that anything was fair game now that she was a public figure. 

Tony returned to his workshop frustrated that he had nowhere to direct his ire. He hated that the press were once again circling Darcy like vultures. That someone had sold the story grated at him as did the nebulous teaching assistant. That there was little he could do now, after the fact, ate at him. He wanted recompense for Darcy but there was no one to actually turn to. Trying to redirect his thoughts Tony turned to the new Iron Man electrical system pulling up the new schematics. 

 

***********

 

It was disconcerting how accustomed Tony was becoming to people just waltzing into his workshop without warning. It was supposed to be one of the most secure rooms in the building, if not the entire city and yet it seemed to have a revolving door installed. As he set aside the schematics he was working on Tony considered he might need to have a discussion with Jarvis about his decision-making protocols. Although Tony had to admit, he generally wanted or needed to talk to the visitors that did find their way into his lab. It was with those thoughts that Tony good-naturedly turned to greet his rather irate best friend. 

“You have a daughter?” Rhodey inquired in disbelief as he marched up to Tony’s desk, adding reproachfully, “I think that merited more than just a voicemail. How did this happen?” 

Tony flashed him a grin, entertained by how disconcerted Rhodey was and said cheekily, “Well, you see when a man and a woman come together - ”

“Cute,” Rhodey ground out, not amused, clearly agitated by Tony’s jesting. He scowled and said sharply, “Seriously. When did you find out? How did you find out?” 

Tony answered blithely, “I found out six weeks ago. It’s been public for four.” Abruptly pointing a screwdriver at Rhodey he said sardonically, “And, the how is fun. I found out from SHIELD.” “They ran a DNA test on Darcy and apparently they already had mine and they got a match. They’d known for over a year. They just didn’t think it was important enough to mention,” he groused irritably, flipping a screwdriver and catching it distractedly, obviously still upset with SHIELD. 

“I was half asleep last night when I got your message. I had just gotten back. I had to listen to it twice. Couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” Rhodey complained indignantly, pinching his brow in frustration. He stared at Tony and said flatly, “You have a daughter.” 

“Yes, I do,” Tony readily confirmed with a delighted smirk, enjoying his friend’s disbelief.

Rhodey frowned and asked concerned, “Are you sure? I mean SHIELD? Do you trust them?” 

Tony frowned and shifted uneasily before admitting, “Generally, no, I don’t trust SHIELD but I do trust some people in SHIELD.” He swiveled in his chair to open a desk drawer and pulled out a box, which he opened to present a USB drive saying confidently, “I trust the agent that put the information together on Darcy. He arranged for me to get this if anything happened to him.” He added with a disbelieving frown of self-recrimination, “Do you remember Pepper’s assistant last year? The redhead? She was a SHIELD agent. I can’t believe I’m saying this – but I trust her. She dropped it off.” Leaning back in his chair, Tony shook off his annoyance and shared unconcerned, “I meant to have a second paternity test run but the news went public before I could.” He sent Rhodey a pleased look saying assuredly, “Once you meet Darcy you’ll see, she’s a Stark. Sort of reminds me a little of my mother in a way. Looks a bit like her too.”

“Your mother? How old is this girl?” Rhodey asked sharply, looking at him in alarm. 

“She’s 21. She’s getting her masters in electrical and mechanical engineering at Culver. You’ll love her. Pepper thinks she’s great,” Tony explained enthusiastically. 

“So, she’s at Culver?” 

“Actually, she’s downstairs. She’s an intern for an astrophysicist I hired,” Tony explained unperturbed by his best friend’s questioning. 

“Downstairs? God, Tony. What is she doing downstairs?” Rhodey asked in disbelief. 

“Well, like I said she works for the astrophysicist I hired. But mostly she’s working on her thesis,” Tony readily answered, humoring Rhodey’s anxious inquires. 

“Where has she been all this time? And, why haven’t you heard from her, or for that matter, her mother, before now?” Rhodey asked skeptically, crossing his arms defiantly, seemingly daring Tony to come up with an explanation.

Tony readily answered, “Darcy was adopted. She has no idea who her biological mother was. She grew up in foster care because her parents were killed in a car accident when she was eleven.”

Somewhat mollified Rhodey conceded, “I guess that would explain why you didn’t hear from her sooner. Still, though, you’re sure this isn’t some sort of con? I mean, come on, SHIELD?”

“I can’t see what SHIELD would gain from it,” Tony said with a considering frown, adding irritably, “Fury actively decided not to tell me once he had the results. He said it would have been too much of a distraction and since Darcy was an adult she didn’t need me.” 

Rhodey nodded his head in contemplation before asking suspiciously, “What about the girl? She has a lot to gain. Are you sure you can trust her?” 

Tony frowned in exasperation and gave his friend an understanding look before saying good-naturedly, “Rhodey, I appreciate the overprotective papa bear thing you have going on here, but it’s not necessary.” He put the USB drive away saying, “Trust me on this. I had Jarvis run a background check as soon as I found out about Darcy. She’s clean.” Crossing his arms he said confidently, “And, yes, I’m sure I can trust her.” He looked down for a moment before saying regretfully, “Her SHIELD file was sold and the story blew up while Darcy was out getting breakfast. The press jumped her right outside the tower. She couldn’t have been more shocked. One of the biggest regrets I’ll always have is that I wasn’t able to tell her myself.”

Somewhat placated Rhodey said contritely, “After all this time, the last thing I expected from you was a kid. When I got the message – I thought – well, I thought you had screwed things up with Pepper. Then I thought – hoped - maybe the two of you had suddenly adopted.” He added reproachfully “You could have said more in your message besides, ‘Good news. I have a kid. It’s a girl.’” 

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Tony said ruefully, adding, “I knew you were out of the country. I thought you’d call when you got back. I didn’t expect a personal visit. Though I’m glad you’re here, you can meet Darcy.”

“Yes. I definitely want to meet her,” Rhodey said irritably.

“Just wait. Pepper had the same questions, but she sees it too. I know it’s hard to believe but she really is my kid,” Tony assured him.

“If you say so. But, seriously Tony. You need to have another test done,” Rhodey urged. “Do you really want to trust SHIELD with something so important?” he questioned skeptically, as he finally relaxed back against an adjacent counter.

“I figured we’d run a second test when Bruce gets back,” Tony said unconcerned, fidgeting with a screwdriver.

“Bruce? Who’s Bruce?” Rhodey asked confused.

“Bruce Banner. The Hulk? He’s in Mumbai setting up a clinic right now but he’s going to be working in a lab downstairs,” Tony explained matter of fact.

“The Hulk is going to be working in the tower? Are you kidding?” Rhodey exclaimed in disbelief, once again agitated. 

“He’s brilliant. You need to meet him,” Tony declared unworriedly.

Rhodey ground out in dismay, “Is he even safe to be around?”

“Sure, as long as you don’t make him angry, he’s fine. He’s actually got a pretty good handle on things. He’s very Zen,” Tony replied with an indifferent shrug.

“Jesus, I leave you alone for two months and you fight off an alien invasion, which, by the way, we are still going to talk about. You find out you have a kid. And, now you tell me the Hulk is going to be working in the tower,” Rhodey said disconcerted, looking at Tony in annoyance. 

“Honey bear, you’re making more out of this than you need to,” Tony said flippantly, tossing the screwdriver in the air again, insisting, “Everything is fine. You’ll see. You’ll love Darcy once you meet her, and Bruce is great.” 

“Maybe,” Rhodey conceded doubtfully before entreating, “Tony, just don’t spend a lot of money on this girl. Not until you get another test done.” He warned worriedly, “You never know. She could try to take you for all she can, while she can.”

“That’s not likely,” Tony refuted with an unconcerned shake of his head. “The only thing Darcy’s spent money on are some clothes a PR rep browbeat her into buying. I just had a conversation with her about her student loans and she won’t let me pay them off,” he explained in frustration. “She’s not after my money. You should have seen her when I gave her a Lamborghini. It took some convincing but she came around,” Tony said pleased.

“You gave her a Lamborghini?! Are you crazy?” Rhodey squawked in horror, pushing away from the counter, to stand over Tony, once again dismayed by what he was hearing.

“No. I just knew she’d love it. Darcy’s a mechanic at heart. You should see her mechanical engineering thesis project. She’s nuts for perpetual motion and wants to use it in all kinds of things,” Tony justified himself unworriedly.

“Tony, you gave a girl you barely know a Lamborghini,” Rhodey said flatly in disbelief, as he tiredly rubbed his hands over his face at a loss as to know what to say. 

“You sound like Pepper,” Tony griped irritably. “She made me wait a week before I gave Darcy anything. She wanted me to start with something smaller and work up to a car, but the Lamborghini was the perfect shade of red,” Tony explained unapologetically, enthusiastically sitting forward in his chair, excited to talk about the car. 

“You bought her a Lamborghini because it was red?!” Rhodey asked incredulously. 

“It’s her signature color. And, it was the perfect shade,” Tony repeated defensively, sitting back dejectedly, disappointed that Rhodey was clearly too distracted to talk about the car. 

“Tony. You’re killing me. You barely know this girl,” Rhodey stated unequivocally, distressed as the situation continued to grow. 

“Eh, just wait. You’ll see,” Tony unworriedly assured him, dismissing his concerns. 

“Hey Tony, Jane and I were going to order – Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Darcy said, coming to a quick stop inside the lab’s entrance, surprised to see someone else in the workshop.

“Darcy! Darling daughter of mine. I have someone I want you to meet,” Tony enthused jumping to his feet, to wrap his arm around her shoulders and guide her into the room saying, “Rhodey, this is Darcy Lewis. Darcy, Lt. Colonel James Rhodes, we went to MIT together. I’ve known him forever.” 

“Hi. Nice to meet you, Colonel,” Darcy greeted Rhodey as she shook his hand, adding playfully, “You’ve known Tony since MIT? So, since he was a baby?”

“Hey. I was 15,” Tony protested good-naturedly. 

“Nice to meet you, Miss Lewis. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Rhodey said stiffly as he gave the petite brunette a critical once over. He had to admit there was a vague resemblance as he looked at the pair side by side. 

“It’s just Darcy,” she said with a friendly smile adding with an elbow nudge into Tony’s side, “And, Tony hasn’t said anything about you.”

“Which we should rectify,” Tony enthusiastically declared. “Why don’t we do lunch. Jarvis? Get everyone’s usual from Ming’s. Rhodey that work for you?” Tony asked expansively. 

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Rhodey said dismissively, too preoccupied to care as he stared intently at Darcy. 

Picking up an undercurrent she wasn’t quite sure what to make of, Darcy pulled away from Tony and edged toward the door saying hesitantly, “I didn’t mean to interrupt if you guys are talking?” 

“You’re not interrupting,” Rhodey assured her, leaning back against the counter and casually crossing his arms he said speculatively, “Tony was just telling me how he found out about you. How did you end up here in the tower? He didn’t say.”

“Oh, well. Tony hired Jane, the astrophysicist I intern for. It’s sort of a long story,” Darcy said offhandedly.

“Really? How’s that?” Rhodey asked attentively. 

Darcy glanced at Tony before easily explaining, “Well, after Tony hired Jane and they had Jarvis track me down. I had been stranded in New Mexico and was taking a bus back to Culver when Jane caught up with me in Chicago. Then we flew to New York and here I am.”

“And, here you are,” Rhodey said dubiously, asking curiously, “And SHIELD? Where do they come in?”

Darcy frowned and said disparagingly, “SHIELD? They’re the reason I was stranded in New Mexico. They shanghaied Jane to study the wormhole here in New York. And, when they came to get Jane’s equipment they tried to get rid of me by making me sign a bunch of NDAs. Which didn’t hold up. When we got to New York Tony’s lawyers took care of things so we don’t have to deal with them anymore.”

Beaming with pride Tony wrapped an arm around Darcy’s shoulders and said, “She’s being modest. She didn’t tell you about tasing a SHIELD agent.” 

“You tased a SHIELD agent?” Rhodey asked sharply, in dismay, feeling as if he had whiplash. The more he heard the crazier the entire situation seemed to become. 

“Uh, yeah. But, he totally had it coming,” Darcy uneasily defended herself, not immune to the man’s subtle skepticism and judgment. 

“I’m surprised you weren’t charged with assaulting a federal agent,” Rhodey said incredulously, glancing at Tony, clearly demanding an explanation. 

“She almost was,” Tony admitted unperturbed, explaining disconcertedly, “Fury took care of it once he realized his agents were acting without orders. They took her into custody because they thought she was a threat to national security. When actually she was under surveillance because the agent that found her thought she needed protection until he could tell me about her.”

Clearly not knowing what to make of what he was hearing Rhodey tersely said, “I see.” 

Darcy shifted away from Tony and said apprehensively, “I’m going to go to reception to check on our lunch. I’ll be right back.”

“Sure thing. We’ll be here,” Tony said nonchalantly, giving her a warm smile to try and sooth her disquiet. 

A strained silence settled between the two friends after Darcy left. Agitated, Tony gave Rhodey a heated look and asked irritably, “Anything else you want to know? Her blood type? It’s A, just like mine. She’s 5’2, same as my mother. She’s got the same gap between her teeth, too. I like to think we share a small resemblance to one another.” Stepping away, to put some distance between them, Tony said nonchalantly, “According to her SHIELD file she’s got an IQ of 165 – so brilliant. Not quite as high as mine, but close enough. She’s not as far along in school as I was at her age, but you have to take make allowances since she hasn’t had the same opportunities I had.” Tony added a touch reproachfully, “Pretty close to being a chip off the old block, wouldn’t you say?”

Rhodey was silent for a moment before wearily shaking his head saying resignedly, “I get it. I’m sorry. I just- Tony, I don’t want you to get played. I know how quickly you get invested in people.”

“Give her a chance,” Tony urged him, desperately wanting him to like Darcy, as he was sure, once Rhodey got past his concerns, he would see how great she was. 

“Alright. I’ll try,” Rhodey conceded apologetically. 

Over lunch it took some effort on Tony’s part to break through of the tension that had been building between Rhodey and Darcy but both were willing to follow his lead. Neither wanted the subtle animosity sitting between them, and preferred to find some common ground. The three of them gathered around a workbench to eat lunch and discussion gradually shifted to how Tony and Rhodey’s friendship formed. 

Rhodey quickly warmed to the topic, explaining to Darcy just how crazy it had been to be Tony Stark’s college roommate. “He was an obnoxious 15-year-old who not only thought he knew everything – he did know everything,” he lamented in frustration. Groaning in despair Rhodey declared, “He was the quintessential computer nerd. It was the 80’s and he had the very first versions of both a Mac and an IBM personal computer. And, he knew Jobs so he had the NeXT Cube, a year before it came out. He was one of their beta testers.” 

Tony turned to Darcy and interjected reproachfully, “They were the first of their kind so they were dinosaurs compared to what we run now.”

“He built his first circuit board when he was four - with Bill Gates,” Rhodey protested in exasperation, adding disparagingly, “Tony’s expectations of what a computer should do, even then, was way outside any normal person’s.” 

"I knew they could be better,” Tony said with an unapologetic shrug, continuing to eat his lunch unconcerned.

Darcy grinned over her stir-fry, tickled to hear how preposterous Tony was during his teenage years. 

Rhodey continued, affectionately complaining, “On top of all that he had a Hero Jr. robot kit and an Omnibot, the first robots to ever come to market. He took them apart, along with Mitsubishi’s Gripper arm. Our room looked like a robot repair shop.” 

“I studied them to see where their systems went wrong. Then I built Dum-E,” Tony explained nonchalantly to Darcy. 

“If he had taken it to market he would have made a mint. It was the first truly functional AI. None of the others were even close. And, he was only 17,” Rhodey grumbled, clearly maddened by Tony’s age, brilliance, and indifference to his accomplishments.

“Dum-E is one of a kind. I couldn’t sell him,” Tony declared, clearly offended by the very idea. “And, he’s a learning bot. I wasn’t going to let just anyone teach my AIs if I made more,” he groused protectively.

Touched, Darcy set her meal aside and gently tapped Tony’s arm saying affectionately, “You are such a softy. You didn’t want to let your children go once you created them, did you?”

“Well, Dum-E’s still learning,” Tony contested, looking down into his meal self-consciously. 

“Tony, you’ve had him for 26 years. I think he’s probably learned all he’s going to,” Rhodey said exasperatedly.

“That’s not true,” Tony protested. “Since Darcy’ been here, he’s taken to lurking by the door every morning to see if she brings breakfast. He’s learned her behaviors and he makes choices on how to interact with her. He’s always learning,” Tony asserted defensively, glancing over at the bot to see what he was doing.

“Aw. I didn’t know that,” Darcy said with a pleased smile, looking over at the lurking robot, delighted to hear it had taken notice of her. 

“Dum-E likes you,” Tony declared. Waving his fork between them as if to prove his point he said, “He hasn’t threatened to dose you with the fire extinguisher has he?”

Darcy laughed, saying exasperated, “No! But if you go by that he must hate you. He gets you at least once a week.”

Tony shrugged and with a tolerant smile said, “Eh. We have an understanding. At this point, it’s his way of showing affection.”

“Dum-E has been threatening Tony with an extinguisher for as long as I can remember. I think they both sort of like it,” Rhodey said with an affectionate grimace.

Sharing a laugh at Tony’s expense seemed to break the rest of the ice between Rhodey and Darcy. Hearing Tony spurt in denial just made the two of them laugh harder. 

Taking a breath Darcy observed drily, “You know, given Tony’s reputation for partying I was expecting stories about the kind of trouble you two got into.”

Rhodey looked down at his meal thoughtfully and shrugged indifferently saying, “We were both underage. We pulled more all-nighters in the labs than anything.”

“Believe it or not, I actually studied. I graduated summa cum laude,” Tony said haughtily, adding chagrined, “I tried to party. But funny, no one wanted to hang out with an obnoxious, under age 15 year old.” He elaborated uncomfortably, “I didn’t actually earn my reputation until I was of age. By that time I had something to prove. And, when you have all the money in the world and are willing to spend it on your friends, you suddenly become very popular.” 

“And, by then I was in the Air Force and couldn’t save him from his more destructive tendencies,” Rhodey said aggrieved, frowning in consternation at Tony.

“Hey, I invited you to plenty of parties. You could have come,” Tony objected.

“Only if I wanted to go AWOL. Which wasn’t one of my career goals,” Rhodey said dryly.

Turning to Darcy Tony explained, “He ended up becoming Stark Industries military liaison. I think the brass were sick of dealing with me at that point.”

Rhodey shook his head in disagreement and he corrected Tony’s explanation saying, “There was more to it than that. Tony was responsible for every major advancement the weapons industry saw during the 90s. The brass weren’t going to let anything sidetrack him if they could help it. That’s where I came in.” 

Impressed Darcy turned to Tony saying, “Wow, I knew you were something of a wunder kid but I didn’t realize the extent.” 

“Yeah, well. I was the golden goose for a while,” Tony said dismissively, adding reproachfully, “Once I spent some time in Afghanistan I was a lot less popular with the military establishment.”

“To say the least,” Rhodey snorted.

Tony shrugged unconcerned and said, “I still provide plenty of support materials – armor, tech, some medical stuff. The military just doesn’t want to rely on Hammer because they know his weapons are crap.”

“True,” Rhodey conceded, adding exasperated, “Every time I come back from a visit I’m not so subtly asked if you are working on anything interesting. The brass still haven’t lost hope that you’ll come around and start designing again.”

“Not likely. Stark Industries is now, and will forever be, out of the weapons business. The future is tech and green energy,” Tony declared. 

“As long as you keep building Iron Man suits they’ll never leave you in peace,” Rhodey stated, adding expectantly, “It’s one of the reasons I’m here. I need you to look over the suit. You said you had some upgrades you wanted to make?”

“Yeah, definitely. We can get to work on that right now,” Tony said enthusiastically setting aside the remains of his lunch. 

As the men began to discuss the upgrades they could make to War Machine, Darcy reluctantly took her leave. She would have preferred to spend the rest of the afternoon with them, learning more about the suits’ systems but her thesis called; the end was in sight and her second lay in wait. 

Settling in at her desk Darcy reflected on meeting Rhodey. It was clear that initially, he hadn’t trusted her and Darcy understood that as Tony’s oldest friend he was trying to protect him. Darcy had to admit her arrival in Tony’s life was unexpected. She had been afraid at first that Rhodey would influence Tony and disrupt their growing relationship and it was a relief when Tony appeared unfazed by the pairs’ initial discord. 

Once Rhodey loosened up Darcy thought she had made a real connection with him. She appreciated that he took the time to tell her stories about Tony when he was young. Darcy felt she had gained some insight and she could see in Tony the creative, precocious boy genius Rhodey described. Darcy had gotten the impression Tony might have had a lonely upbringing but was now reassured that there had been a time in his life that Tony had not been alone but had at least one good friend to rely on. In time Darcy hoped she would get to know Rhodey and was glad that they had come to a silent agreement that Tony’s happiness was the most important concern they had between them. 

 

Once the suit was laid out on the work table Rhodey said apologetically, “You were right. Darcy’s great. There is definitely something there.”

“Pepper and Happy both said the same thing. Something about her says Stark,” Tony said happily.

Rhodey stood silently in contemplation before saying slowly, “Actually, if anything, she’s more like your mother.” 

Tony paused, knowing Rhodey was one of the few people left who knew his mother and looking down at the tools in his hands he swallowed hard and said roughly, “I thought I was the only one who saw that.”

“No. She has your mother’s charisma. Like you,” Rhodey said gruffly, slowly nodding his head with certainty, adding thoughtfully, “Your mother would have loved her.”

“I like to think so,” Tony said quietly before turning to search for some more tools on an adjacent table. Standing he called out, “Jarvis pull up the schematics for War Machine’s electrical system and overlay it with the schematics I was working on. I think those would be the fastest upgrades.”

 

 

Looking out over the city as the sun set, Rhodey reflected on his day. Learning that Tony had a daughter had been a shock. Meeting Darcy had been even more eye-opening. Hearing how Tony had learned about Darcy had left Rhodey with a distinct feeling of unease. SHIELD’s involvement was questionable at best. But he had to concede Darcy was very much cut from the same cloth as Tony. She engaged people with humor but backed it up with a keen mind and sharp questions. Yet, she was open and trusting in a way Tony was not. Rhodey recognized she had been more than willing to meet him half way when he was very obviously doubting her and he found he wanted to reach out to her in turn. 

What had caught his attention more than anything was how easy Tony was with Darcy. He was utterly relaxed in her presence, something that only occurred with a very small group of people. Rhodey immediately recognized when Tony dropped his public mask and slipped into what he likes to think of as the real Tony Stark. He became Rhodey’s friend from college in that instant and Tony was apparently comfortable with sharing that side of himself with Darcy as well. The level of trust Tony showed in her was stunning. 

Rhodey was startled from his thoughts by Pepper joining him at the window and asking, “So you met Darcy?”

Rhodey nodded thoughtfully. Glancing at her he said ruefully, “She’s a great girl. I wasn’t sure at first.”

Pepper stood silently next to him looking out at the sunset before she quietly admitted, “When this all started, I didn’t say much to Tony, I didn’t want to upset him. But I had my doubts, too.” She reflected for a moment before reassuring Rhodey, “I saw Darcy the night the news broke. Her reactions were real. This has all come as a shock to her. And, I think Darcy’s handled everything with a surprising amount of grace considering the circumstances.”

Rhodey smiled depreciatively saying, “They are a little extreme, even for Tony Stark.”

“True,” Pepper readily agreed, sharing a sympathetic look with him. “This wasn’t anything we were expecting. But I think it has been positive. Darcy is a good fit for Tony,” she said with certainty. A comfortable silence settled between the two of them before Pepper offered, “A PR rep got a hold of Darcy the week the news broke. Had her convinced she was an embarrassment to us and was going to hurt the company if she didn’t improve her image.” Shaking her head in disbelief Pepper continued to explain, “Darcy didn’t say a word to either of us and when Tony found out how horrible this woman was treating her Darcy was worried she was in trouble.” She looked over at Rhodey and said with mild exasperation, “At that point she had known Tony for three weeks and that he was her father for one and she was absolutely miserable but going along with this woman because she was worried about him and the business.” She added appreciatively, “Darcy didn’t have an agenda. Other than not disappointing Tony and trying to make him happy.” Pepper turned to Rhodey and said earnestly, “It was then that I started to trust her. Darcy isn’t interested in Tony’s money or his power or his reputation. None of that interests her.” She smiled affectionately saying, “From everything I’ve seen and heard, they talk about her school projects, repairing her boss’ equipment, cars and most recently the suits. The only other person Tony talks about the suits with is you. You know he doesn’t trust people easily, yet something about Darcy has Tony opening up.”

Rhodey nodded, considering what she said and offered quietly, “She reminds me of Tony’s mother.”

“Really? I didn’t realize,” Pepper said in surprise. She stared out the window in contemplation before saying speculatively, “It brings up the question of nature vs nurture. Even though she wasn’t raised by Tony Darcy has a lot of his attributes.”

“She does, but as much as she might be like Tony, she’s even more like his mother. She looks a bit like her too – in a way. Maybe it’s her mannerism? I wish you had known her, you would see it too,” Rhodey responded wistfully. 

“I believe you. Darcy’s a softer version of Tony and he had to have gotten his charm from somewhere,” Pepper observed thoughtfully as she looked out across the city.

“It’s more than that. His mother looked after people. She genuinely cared about everyone around her,” Rhodey clarified. He turned toward Pepper saying intently, “It was over lunch that I saw it. Darcy has a way of taking care of Tony, just like his mother did. It set him at ease. She tried to reach out to me too, even though I was giving her a hard time. It didn’t faze her. Heck, she even worried about Dum-E when we got to talking about him.”

“That sounds like her. Darcy’s a caretaker. She has a knack with getting her boss to take care of herself too. Jane’s as intense as Tony is when she’s working. But Darcy manages her,” Pepper explained, adding approvingly, “She does the same for Tony. He’s never eaten so many regular meals. I worry about him less now when I’m out of town because I know Darcy is here.” 

“I can see that. I just hope that everything – well, that nothing happens. Tony’s pretty invested at this point,” Rhodey said worriedly.

“He is,” Pepper agreed. “I had my reservations. I still do. But the more time goes by the more reassured I am that Darcy is a positive addition to our lives,” she added thoughtfully. 

“I hope so,” Rhodey commented as he turned to greet Tony who came through the door saying, “Pepper, this is the last of the Reisling from Germany that you like so much.”

“I’ll ask Andre to order some more in the morning. Rhodey and I were just talking about Darcy. She told me yesterday she was almost done with her thesis?” Pepper said as Tony swung by her and planted a kiss on her cheek on the way to the bar. 

“I think she’ll be done with it tomorrow. She’s probably done with it now but is rereading it yet again. Then she has to get to work on her electrical engineering piece. I haven’t seen that yet,” Tony said enthusiastically as he opened the wine bottle. 

Pepper and Rhodey shared a fond smile at Tony’s eagerness before Rhodey asked, “What are her plans for when she’s finished?”

Tony paused and frowned saying with an exasperated sigh, “She wants to get her masters in international affairs.”

“What? She does? Oh, I have to talk to her,” Pepper said excitedly.

“I knew it. I’m going to lose her to the soft sciences,” Tony groused.


	22. Once More Around the Block

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy starts to get used to her new normal. Bruce returns. It's time for SHIELD to pay the piper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to thestancyg for beta-reading and helping generate story ideas. It cannot be stressed enough that this story improved substantially due to your input!

It had taken a solid four weeks of rewrites but Darcy had finally completed her first thesis. Her second was still in its original draft form from her first effort months ago. Unfortunately, she couldn’t settle into work. Restless, Darcy wanted nothing more than to escape the lab. Cabin fever had set in as it had been a week since she had dared leave the building. While the previous Friday had been the first successful implementation of her Let’s Make a Deal plan with the paparazzi, she hadn’t been able to go out since. The plaza had been in chaos during the early part of the week due to the sexual harassment story. Darcy didn’t particularly see why the press was so obsessed with it and chose to bury herself in her work until the interest died down. 

Now that her first thesis was done, she had a little bit more mental space to consider her circumstances. It was another bright Friday morning and Darcy was inspired to give going for coffee another shot, particularly as it was earlier than when she normally left. Gathering Lee and Wilson, her security guards, Darcy headed out into the plaza hoping for the best. The paparazzi were nowhere to be seen. Pleased, Darcy lightheartedly window shopped on their short walk to the coffee shop. To be able to amble along with no time constraints was something she had missed and intended to enjoy.

The return trip to the tower was just as quiet and Darcy appreciated being invisible in rush hour foot traffic. It wasn’t until they were immediately approaching the tower that the ebb and flow of the crowd began to change. They were within 10 feet of the plaza’s first barrier when a shout went up. Suddenly a group of people on the sidewalk turned in her direction and within seconds they converged yelling.

“Darcy! How did you find out you were a Stark? Darcy, is it true the press told you you were a Stark? Did you find out from the press you were Stark’s daughter? Darcy, who told you you were a Stark? Did Stark tell you he was your father? Darcy, when did you find out you were a Stark?”

The questions overlapped and the intensity and demand of their tone paralyzed Darcy as panic set in. She hunched in reflexively over the coffee she was carrying and tried to back away only to collide with Lee. Meanwhile, Wilson held the photographers off at arm’s length saying lowly, “Stand back. That’s far enough.”

As the crowd pressed forward, Wilson reached back and wrapped his arm around Darcy’s shoulders pulling her forward as Lee came up along her side to ward off the men coming from her left. The three made little headway as more photographers blocked them in. Wilson began to raise his voice over the skirmish saying, “Step back. Let us through.” Meanwhile, a battery of questions and the sound of cameras snapping overwhelmed them to the point it was all just loud white noise. Darcy ducked her head and focused on holding on to the coffee carrier, determined not to drop it. She took small steps as Wilson urged her forward but they made little progress. Noise intensified and the crowd pushed ever closer when suddenly Darcy was swept off her feet. Lee pulled her up into a bridal carry and Wilson broke through the crowd leading the way. They quickly bypassed the sidewalk barricade and left the photographers behind. Lee easily set Darcy back on her feet in front of the tower’s doors and guided her inside. Stumbling into the atrium, dripping coffee from her drenched jacket Darcy shakily followed her guards onto the elevator. 

In the sudden silence of the elevator, Darcy’s regained her senses and heard Lee say, “Miss Lewis, again I apologize but the crowd was becoming unmanageable. I felt we needed to remove you before the situation worsened.”

“No. Yeah. It’s ok. Thanks,” Darcy said shakily, still overwhelmed. 

“We never would have advised you go out with a crowd like that,” Wilson said.

“You couldn’t have known. They weren’t there when we left,” Darcy reassured the men, still trying to get her baring. 

As the elevator came to a stop on the security floor Darcy said, “Thank you – for – well, thank you. Chances are I won’t be going anywhere this weekend.”

“Of course, Miss Lewis. If you need us, we’ll be here,” Lee assured her as he stepped out into the hall. 

 

As the elevator ascended to the labs Darcy leaned heavily back against the wall and numbly wondered how the latest news had leaked to the press. Only a very small group of people were aware of how and when Darcy had learned of her relationship with Tony. She was sure Tony and Jane hadn’t said anything. Arriving at the lab Darcy found Tony anxiously waiting for her. 

“Are you ok?” Tony asked as he took the dripping coffee carrier from her hands and led her to her desk.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I take it Jarvis told you?” Darcy said wearily, peeling off her wet overcoat and looking it over with disgust as coffee seeped from of it.

“Got to see it in techno color and everything,” Tony said cynically. “I need to give your guys a bonus. They pulled you out of there so fast you didn’t even have a chance to drop the coffee,” Tony teased as he looked over the coffee cups to see if any of the drinks were salvageable. 

“Haha,” Darcy said as she hung her coat over the back of a chair not sure what to do with it. 

“God Darcy, are you ok? What happened?” Jane asked worriedly, as she came over to take the coffee carrier from Tony and began to distribute what was left between the three of them. 

“Oh, you know. The usual. The paparazzi cornered me,” Darcy said with a dismissive, slightly hysterical laugh, adding exasperated, “Should I be worried I’m starting to get used to them doing that?”

“What happened exactly?” Jane asked, handing her a half a cup of coffee.

“At first it looked like we were going to completely miss the paparazzi since I left so early. But, a bunch of photographers got me just as we were getting back. It was crazy. Lee had to pick me up just to get me out of there. It all happened really fast,” Darcy explained disconcerted. 

Jane paused in her coffee cleanup and asked puzzled, “I thought the sexual harassment story had died down?” 

“It did. This was new. They know when I found out about Tony,” Darcy explained as she took a sip of her coffee. 

“How is that even possible?” Jane asked throwing away her wet paper towels. 

“It shouldn’t be,” Tony said, leaning back against the adjacent counter, casually holding his coffee. 

“Well, they were very specific. They were asking if I found out about Tony from the press,” Darcy clarified perturbed. 

“Jarvis, what’s being reported?” Tony called out with a contemplative frown.

“Currently, TMZ is running a story from a source close to Miss Lewis. They postulate that she became aware of her relationship with you the same day the news was released, 6 weeks ago. There is speculation that Miss Lewis learned of your relationship when the press accosted her in the plaza. They are sighting video taken that day of her denying you are her father.”

Darcy hung her head and with a resigned sigh sat down heavily in her desk chair saying, “Great. I should have known that would come back to bite me.”

“Just because you denied Tony was your dad doesn’t mean that’s how you found out,” Jane said exasperatedly. 

“No, but the video makes a compelling argument,” Tony said with a disgruntled shrug. Crossing his arms he said disconcertedly, “What I want to know is where is this coming from? This is pretty specific considering no one knew.”

“Well, who knew? You, me, Jane. Who else?” Darcy asked perplexed. 

“Pepper. And, Hanson in legal. Everyone else on staff found out the day the story broke but no one should know the specifics,” Tony asserted confidently.

“That’s five people, including me,” Darcy said vexed. 

“And, we know none of us talked,” Tony said with certainty. 

“Excuse me, sir?” Jarvis suddenly broke in.

“Yeah, Jarvis?” Tony asked surprised by the unexpected interruption.

“If I may? There is one other party that was aware of the situation. Miss Lewis informed Miss Cartwright at their initial meeting,” Jarvis said.

“What?! No, I didn’t!” Darcy insisted looking from Tony to Jane in alarm.

“If you would like, I can provide the audio of your meeting?” Jarvis offered. 

“Let’s hear it. We need to know what’s out there, so we can deal with it,” Tony said stoically.

Suddenly, the lab was filled with Cynthia’s voice saying, “This is all new to you.” It was quickly followed by Darcy’s agreement, “I only found out two days ago.” 

“Oh my god,” Darcy groaned, dropping her head to her desk in dismay. “I can’t believe I said that.”

“Well, that’s where this is coming from. You didn’t say how, but you said when. It’s enough to take to the press,” Tony groused.

“Darcy barely said anything though,” Jane protested as she reached over and patted Darcy on the back comfortingly.

“It was enough to admit she had just found out,” Tony explained perturbed. 

“What’s the big deal? Who cares when Darcy found out about you?” Jane asked baffled. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Tony conceded. “But the press can make it into a story. The public apparently loves Darcy so anything the press can use to feed that interest, they will. The more interest, the more money there is to make,” Tony explained indifferently. 

“They make money from this?” Jane asked in surprise.

“Sure, why do you think the paparazzi follow her around?” Tony asked incredulously. 

“I guess I never thought about it. Who pays for this stuff?” Jane asked confused. 

“The gossip sites pay the paparazzi for the stories and the pictures. The more the public visits their sites, the more income they generate from the advertisers,” Tony elaborated. “The paparazzi and the public feed off one another. If public interest is high then the paparazzi will find a story to report, even if they have to make it up.” “With Darcy, they’ve been able to use the news report and there have been enough leaks and appearances to keep the public interest high,” he clarified. 

Dejectedly Darcy sat back in her chair and said in frustration, “So I shouldn’t have done all those impromptu interviews?” 

Tony shook his head and said after a moment of consideration, “No, that might actually have been working the way you wanted. You were being followed less right before the sexual harassment story hit. Right?”

“Yeah. My idea was just starting to work – I think,” Darcy agreed, adding discontented, “When the story broke on Monday I just didn’t go out for a few days. It was quiet this morning so I thought I’d risk it. I never expected this.” 

Jane returned to her desk asking, “So Cynthia went to one of those sites and told them when Darcy found out?”

“We don’t have any way of knowing for sure. But according to Jarvis, she’s the only other person that knew,” Tony said disgruntled. 

“There isn’t any way to prove she did it?” Jane asked hopefully.

Aggravated Tony shook his head saying, “Not unless we can get TMZ to admit she was their source, which they’ll never do. Though if they did, we could nail her for violating her non-disclosure agreements.”

“So what do we do now? It’s not like I’m going to have PR issue a press release confirming the story,” Darcy said sarcastically.

Tony snorted at the suggestion and said unconcernedly, “You’re just going to have to ignore it. It’ll die down on its own as long as nothing else comes up.” “You aren’t planning on giving an interview anytime soon are you?” Tony asked sardonically. 

“Ha. Not likely,” Darcy said dryly.

Tony shrugged undaunted before saying, “You’re just going to have to lay low for a while.” Taking a sip of coffee he said, “You know if you want coffee we could always just send an intern.”

“Tony, I am an intern. It’s part of my job,” Darcy insisted mildly irate, adding indignantly, “Besides, I like to get out and get some fresh air. If I didn’t go out for coffee I’d never leave the building.” Beginning to forcefully unstack her resource books she said adamantly, “I’m not you or Jane. I actually like interacting with people. I’m going to go crazy if I have to live like this much longer. My thesis is the only thing keeping me sane. ”

Tony considered his coffee for a moment before admitting ruefully, “I thought the interest in you would die down a little by now. Sooner or later it will taper off. But you have to know it will never just go away.”

Moving her coffee out of the way for her books Darcy said disgruntled, “I really don’t want to hear that. I just want to be able to go shopping in peace. Do some sightseeing without being stalked. Is that too much to ask?”

“Right now, it is. But in time,” Tony said with an unconcerned shrug. Casting a firm look at her he cautioned, “But, I still want you to have security.”

“I just hope it doesn’t last that much longer,” Darcy said annoyed. 

Nodding in understanding Tony suggested, “Why don’t you and Jane head out to the Hampton’s for the weekend?” He warmed to the idea encouraging her, “Get out of the tower for a few days. Come back Sunday night. No one will even know you left.” Tony added firmly, “You just need to take security.”

“God, that sounds good,” Darcy said, relief evident. “But do we really need to take security? It’s only for a few days,” she argued hopefully.

Tony looked at her incredulously and said exasperated, “Darcy, the paparazzi just attacked you in the plaza. You need security. If you take your guys they’ll drive; it’ll be safer. And, there’s plenty of room out there, you’ll barely even see them.”

“I suppose,” Darcy agreed reluctantly, adding wistfully, “It would be great to get out of here for a few days.” Turning to Jane she asked expectantly, “What do you think? Want to head to the Hamptons for the weekend?”

Looking up absently from her tablet Jane said agreeably, “As long as you let me bring work.”

“Yeah sure, I plan to work on my thesis. I’m just looking for a change of scenery more than anything,” Darcy replied.

“Jarvis give the Hampton staff a call to let them know someone will be there this weekend. Have them lay in some groceries,” Tony called out.

“Right away sir,” Jarvis replied. 

 

***************

 

After spending a few hours working on the suit’s electrical systems it took Tony a moment to notice Jarvis had lowered the volume of his music. He called out absently, “Jarvis? Music?” 

The AI responded wryly, “Sir, you wanted me to notify you whenever someone was on the way to your workshop. Dr. Banner has returned from Mumbai and is currently on the way up to the labs.”

“Bruce is back?” Tony asked, perking up excitedly.

“Yes, sir. He arrived while you were speaking with Miss Lewis and Dr. Foster this morning,” Jarvis replied.

“Great, let him in when he gets here,” Tony said, as he looked over his project deciding he could leave it at that juncture.

Stepping back Tony met the doctor as he came through the door saying gleefully, “You’re back! Finally. I was going to give your lab space away.”

Bruce greeted him awkwardly saying, “Tony. Hey, sorry. It took a while to get the clinic setup. And thank you. I never would have been able to do it without you.”

“Hey, yeah. Happy to help,” Tony uncomfortably brushed aside his thanks adding enthusiastically as he led the way to his desk, “I’m just glad you’re back. A lot’s happened. Added an astrophysicist to the mix. She’s in the lab next to yours. Actually, you might have heard of her, Jane Foster? She’s studying the wormhole or at least what’s left of it.”

Bruce looked at him sharply and asked anxiously, “What’s left of it? I thought it was gone?”

“Yeah. There’s residual energy. She’s excited about it. Actually, you might want to talk to her since its emitting radiation,” Tony suggested obviously unconcerned. 

Bruce nodded, silently considering the news before saying thoughtfully, “What sort of radiation is it emitting? I’d like to see her data because there could be long-term ramifications.”

“SHIELD gave us the all clear and Jane’s driven, but not crazy, so I think we’re fine,” Tony reassured him as he puttered with a screwdriver. 

Pulling off his glasses to clean them Bruce contemplated what Tony said before uncomfortably asking, “So, what else has been happening? There was some commotion in the plaza when I came in this morning. Do you have a celebrity living in the building?”

Tony snorted, amused at the suggestion saying, “I guess you could say we do. Sounds like you saw Darcy’s run-in with the paparazzi.”  


“Darcy?”

“Yeah. She’s the news I was going to tell you about,” Tony explained expectantly, clarifying nonchalantly, “The day after you left for Mumbai I found out I have a daughter. Coulson left me a file. The press has been having a field day since it went public.”

“Oh, wow,” Bruce said in muted surprise, only to ask with a concerned frown, “SHIELD found her?” 

“Yeah, and Fury didn’t bother to tell me. Coulson decided I needed to know,” Tony replied still annoyed by the situation, adding expectantly, “Actually, I was hoping you’d run a DNA panel for me. SHIELD ran a paternity test and while I trust Coulson, I think it’d be best if we dotted the I’s and crossed the T’s.”

“SHIELD did the paternity test for you?” Bruce asked doubtfully, clearly not trusting them. 

Frustrated Tony pulled up a document on a holograph before his desk and gestured toward the paternity test that popped up saying, “They didn’t so much do the paternity test for me as they ran Darcy’s DNA through their system and got a lucky hit.” 

With a concerned frown, Bruce squinted at the document and adjusted his glasses. With a contemplative nod he agreed, “Yeah, we should probably double-check their results. You said the press already know?”

“Yeah, a SHIELD agent sold Darcy’s file. It’s been a nightmare, but we’re managing,” Tony explained resignedly as he shut down the holograph.

“Ok,” Bruce said, easily accepting Tony’s explanation as he played with his glasses adding, “Once I get the lab setup we can run the test. They’re pretty simple to do.” 

“Good. We’ll do it later,” Tony said assured, adding “Now, how do you feel about lunch? You can meet Darcy and Jane.”

 

Lunch turned out to be something of a ruckus affair as the women enthusiastically welcomed Bruce into the fold. Having read some of his papers and knowing of his work with gamma radiation Jane quickly began to pick Bruce’s brain in regards to the wormhole. The two would have been off to the races speculating if Darcy hadn’t reigned them in.

“Ok, you two you’re freaking me out,” Darcy announced worriedly after the pair began to delve into specific findings. “I’ve been working under the impression that the radiation we’ve been measuring wasn’t harmful and now you’re throwing around amounts that are making me nervous. I get that alpha and beta particles aren’t that dangerous. But, now you’re talking gamma radiation which I know you need lead or concrete to block,” she said agitatedly, looking between the two of them, clearly demanding an explanation. 

“Darcy, the amounts we’re measuring are equivalent to an x-ray,” Jane quickly defended. “You also have to factor in the distance we are from the phenomena. By the time it reaches us it’s weakened considerably,” she reassured Darcy, her lunch obviously forgotten as she was caught up in the discussion.

“Although over time exposure to gamma radiation would build up,” Bruce argued.

“True, but you’d get the same level of exposure to the granite in Grand Central Station as you would from going up to the roof every day,” Jane argued. 

“Ok, so now I know not to go to Grand Central Station,” Darcy quipped.

“Actually, the radiation the granite gives off is from what the stone is made of. All granite buildings have that problem,” Bruce explained matter of fact. He elaborated saying, “It gives off a little more than a millirem a day. If you lived in Denver you get a 1 millirem ever two days. The radiation amounts you’re detecting from the remains of the wormhole are equivalent.” 

“Exactly. Nothing to worry about,” Jane insisted.

“Although – over time-” Bruce argued warily.

Jane interrupted mildly frustrated saying, “Yes, over time there is an impact. But I doubt I’ll live to be 150 so I’m not going to worry about it.”

“Fair enough,” Bruce conceded the point, returning to his lunch. 

Darcy turned to Tony saying, “You’re awfully quiet. It’s your building getting exposed to radiation. You’re not concerned?”

“Eh,” Tony said shrugged unworriedly, “As Jane said, it’s not all that much and it takes years of accumulation to even begin to make an impact. I get more exposure going to the dentist. Besides the building blocks most of it,” Tony said, glancing at Bruce for confirmation. 

“Yes. The building would be enough to block the alpha and beta radiation and the gamma rays would also have trouble penetrating the building, but some particles would still get through,” Bruce readily explained. 

“But not enough to worry about,” Tony stated undisturbed.

Bruce reluctantly nodded. Turning to Jane he said, “I’d like to take a look at your numbers and see how fast the decay is taking place. You said you’ve seen a decrease over time?”

Jane set aside her lunch saying excitedly, “Darcy, I need the daily report to show him the decrease.”

Exasperated Darcy stopped eating saying, “Ok, you two. I can see you’re going to play well together. But, first, you’re going to eat lunch. Then you can look at reports and go to the roof to take fresh measurements and compare numbers to your heart's content.”

“Darcy,” Jane whined petulantly.

“Don’t Darcy me. Eat your lunch, then you can work,” Darcy commanded in good humor, knowing if she gave an inch she wouldn’t get Jane to sit down to eat for the rest of the day. 

Jane scowled but began eating her meal just a bit faster. Bruce looked worriedly between the two women and glanced up at Tony questioningly.

Tony grinned at the befuddled scientist saying ruefully as he ate his salad, “Just wait. She’ll have you eating your vegetables by the end of the week. I’ve given up fighting her.”

“Hey, Pepper told me before I got here you never ate breakfast and you lived on coffee and protein shakes. I help you, whether you want to admit it or not!” Darcy playfully insisted.

Tony smirked and admitted chagrined, “Fine. Yes, since you got here I have been better about eating meals.”

“Ha! See!” Darcy said. Turning to Bruce she said with a soothing smile, “Don’t worry I’m not too horrible. I just make sure Jane eats and by extension, Tony. Since it looks like you’re going to be around, I’ll probably bug you too.”

Not sure how to respond Bruce awkwardly nodded and glancing at Tony for reassurance said, “Um, ok?”

“Now, what I’m curious to know is why does a nuclear physicist set up a medical clinic in Mumbai?” Darcy asked attentively, trying to steer the conversation away from work. 

“Oh, um. Well, I was living there and well -,” Bruce faltered, unsure how to explain the situation.

“What Bruce is trying not to say is he was a doctor there. Though it’s all hush – hush,” Tony helpfully supplied.

“I’m not a medical doctor. But I tried to help where I could,” Bruce explained uneasily.

“You’ve got 7 PhDs. I don’t think anyone was all that picky,” Tony argued indignantly. Turning to Darcy he said as an afterthought, “Speaking of which, once Bruce gets the lab setup we should finally do a DNA test. I’d rather rely on him than SHIELD.”

Looking up from her lunch, initially surprised, Darcy quickly understood and said, “Oh, yeah, sure. I wondered about that too.”

“Yeah, Bruce is on our - we don’t trust SHIELD team. I’m thinking about making t-shirts,” Tony said sardonically.

“Just give me a few days. The test is simple, I just need to get a swab of your salvia,” Bruce explained. 

“Ok. I’ll be around whenever you want to do it,” Darcy responded agreeably. 

“Now what I want to know is how many babies in the greater Mumbai area are named Bruce? Just how many babies have you delivered?” Tony asked, poking Bruce in the side with his fork. 

 

***************

 

Settling into work on the repulsers that were giving him trouble Tony was content with how lunch had gone. Bruce’s introduction to Jane and Darcy had been more than successful as he was already consulting with Jane. Tony was also amused at Bruce’s response to Darcy’s threat to take him under her wing. He had a feeling the scientist would benefit from her benevolent care, even though Bruce might not need it quite as much he and Jane admittedly did. Occupied as he was, Tony wasn’t expecting Jarvis to interrupt saying, “Sir, Mr. Hanson is on his way to your workshop. Should I allow him entry?”

“Hanson is coming here?” Tony asked startled. 

“Yes, sir. He’s in the elevator now,” Jarvis replied.

“Yeah, let him in,” Tony said in consternation, glancing around at the worktables loaded with equipment and pieces of suits, not overly concerned but also not used to allowing someone new into his workshop.

Perplexed by Hanson’s visit, Tony stood to greet him, not sure what to expect. The man had never had cause to visit Tony in his workshop before. Generally, if legal needed something they sent an email or more likely handed it off to Pepper and she either dealt with it or visited him herself. Tony couldn’t imagine what would instigate a visit.

Entering the workshop Hanson’s cool reserve gave way to curiosity as he glanced around the room. He smiled weakly at Tony and said, “I apologize for visiting you unannounced but I felt developments in the SHIELD case should be brought to your attention immediately.”  


Leading the man further into the workshop and over toward his desk Tony said nonchalantly, “Yeah, sure. Come on in. So did he plead out? What’d he get?” 

“Yes, Mr. Mitchell did plead guilty. The outcome, however, was not what we hoped for or expected. He received a fine,” Hanson explained pained. 

Tony turned abruptly to the man saying indignantly, “A fine? I thought it was five years?”

“Five years is the maximum sentence he could receive for the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information,” Hanson confirmed, adding, “With this sort of breach the judge has significant leeway during sentencing. In this instance, the judge considered the actual information released and deemed it insubstantial.” 

“Insubstantial?!” Tony snapped in dismay. Sharply flipping a screwdriver he asked sarcastically, “So what was the fine?” 

Hanson frowned in disapproval saying, “Five thousand dollars. It’s considered little more than a slap on the wrist.”

Tony’s fidgeting came to a sudden halt as he growled furiously, “You’re kidding me. I thought SHIELD was going to take care of it.” 

“Whether SHIELD attempted to influence the court one way or another I don’t know,” Hanson said his dissatisfaction clear. “Technically, they would only be involved in providing evidence. In this instance, prosecution collected what they had and used it as a premise for brokering a plea,” Hanson explained depreciatively.

“This is bullshit,” Tony exclaimed infuriated. “I can’t believe – No. I can believe. I shouldn’t even be surprised.”

“I thought you would want this matter brought to your attention as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we have no recourse,” Hanson said aggrieved. 

“Ha. We have recourse. SHIELD is done. You’re still negotiating contracts with them right?” Tony demand agitatedly.

“We are currently in the final stages of a number of contracts as well as planning to renew some in the near future,” Hanson confirmed.

“Scrap them. No more deals. Charge them market prices. No, screw that. Add 10% to the market price for everything,” Tony ordered angrily, adding defiantly, “They can take it or leave it. We’re done supporting them. If Fury thinks he can play me he has another thing coming.” 

Hanson nodded affirmatively saying, “I expected you would want to address Stark Industries relationship with SHIELD once you were aware of the situation. I’ll speak with the contracts division immediately.” 

Tony looked around at the lab irritated that he had no one to direct his ire at and grumbled, “Yeah. You do that. I’ll talk to Pepper.”  


“Very well. I’ll be in touch if there are any noteworthy developments,” Hanson said, as he took his leave. 

“Great,” Tony muttered vaguely, seeing the man to the door. 

With Hanson’s departure, Tony came to a stop in the middle of the workshop for a moment trying to get his bearing. He was beyond livid. From his conversation with Fury, he fully expected SHIELD to weld their considerable influence and make sure their agent was fully persecuted. That the man was walking away unscathed was unacceptable. Five thousand dollars was merely a fine for being stupid enough to get caught, it wasn’t a punishment. Returning to his desk Tony sat down heavily and called out, “Jarvis, get Fury on the line.”

“Yes, sir.”

While he waited Tony pulled up Stark Industries intranet and looked through the status of the contracts they had under negotiation with SHIELD. His decision to charge market price plus 10% would kill every deal on the docket. He found he wasn’t all that disturbed by that but instead felt a small semblance of satisfaction. 

“Sir, I have Director Fury on the line for you,” Jarvis announced.

Not bothering with the pleasantries Tony snarled out, “Fury? You said you’d take care of the bastard that sold Darcy’s file. I don’t think $5,000 is taking care of him do you?” 

“Stark, SHIELD doesn’t dictate court decisions,” Fury said defensively. 

“Bullshit. If you wanted to throw the book at him, he’d have gotten the full five years. You just didn’t give a damn,” Tony contended furiously. 

“We let the prosecutors know where we stood on the matter, that was all we could do,” Fury argued forcefully. 

“Yeah, right. I warned you. I told you what would happen if you didn’t take care of this. As of right now, all SHIELD contracts in the pipeline are dead. No more deals. How does market prices plus 10% sound to you?” Tony asked angrily. 

“Stark, we did all that we could. It was out of our hands,” Fury maintained. 

“This isn’t a negotiation. This is me telling you how it’s going to be. We’re done,” Tony snapped before ending the call. 

Hanging up by pushing a button wasn’t very satisfying and Tony was left stewing in his anger for the moment unfulfilled. Finally, he pulled up his email and sent off a quick note to Pepper updating her on the situation. Tony knew she wouldn’t be thrilled with scraping all the work legal had already put in on the SHIELD contracts but he also knew she would be in agreement. SHIELD needed more than a reminder that Stark Industries had been supporting them. In the meantime, Tony decided to let Jarvis off his chain and sent him off to run havoc on Mitchell’s personal accounts. Tony had resisted such measures before, hoping the legal process would extract payment for the man’s misdeeds. Now though, Tony had no compunctions to finding justice another way. 

 

*********

 

Unnoticed by Darcy, interest in her makeup and clothing choices ran high as pictures accumulated from her many coffee runs over the past few weeks. Her down to earth image and easy going attitude had won her many admirers, particularly among young girls. Beauty blogs began to feature her, making much of her fair complexion and dramatic makeup choices, especially her bright red lipstick. Online polls sprang up asking readers to decide just which of Revlon’s various shades of red Darcy wore. One particular shade was heavily favored, ironically called ‘Rich Girl Red.’ When asked one morning at the barricades Darcy had laughed and admitted she had no idea which shade it was as the name had worn off lipstick case. Wrapped up with her thesis Darcy wasn’t aware of the specifics regarding the hype surrounding her and was taken by surprise when Pepper asked to meet with her. 

As the day came to a close Darcy packed for her trip to the Hamptons and then dropped by Pepper’s office as requested, curious to know why the CEO wanted to see her. 

“Thank you for coming,” Pepper began warmly as she shuffled through a file on her desk. Looking up she passed Darcy a sheath of papers saying, “This is for you to review. I’ve read it. It’s a fairly intriguing proposition if you’re interested. It pays well. Not that you need the money. But I thought you might find it fun.”

“Ok? What is it?” Darcy asked as she sat down, attentively paging through the document. 

“It’s an offer from Revlon,” Pepper said delightedly. “They want to build a campaign around you. Apparently, beauty blogs have been featuring you and they’ve had a run on their red lipsticks. It’s a new trend,” she explained, adding enthusiastically, “The premise of the campaign is to determine just which shade of red you’re wearing. Apparently, there’s a lot of debate. But they can’t go forward without you.”

Flabbergasted, Darcy looked at Pepper in shocked dismay and said, “They want me to be in a makeup campaign?” 

“Yes. You’re quite popular, particularly with young women and beauty blogs,” Pepper said amused by the burnet’s surprise.  
“You’re kidding,” Darcy said still stunned.

“I’m not surprised. You have a unique look and you’re the perfect demographic for Revlon’s marketing,” Pepper reassured her confidently.  


Befuddled Darcy looked down at the paperwork and back at Pepper asking, “And, you think this is a good idea?” 

“Well, we’ll need to have legal look over the contract,” Pepper conceded, adding with an affirmative nod, “But, yes. If it’s something you’d like to do, I think you should. It could be fun.” She continued, advising, “I think you need to talk to Revlon to get a better understanding of what their expectations are. But, if you find you’re comfortable with the people involved, you might want to consider it.”

“Wow,” Darcy said in awe. She repeated with a disbelieving laugh, “Wow.” 

Pepper smile appreciatively, enjoying Darcy’s amazement and said, “I know this might be a surprise. And, you aren’t obligated to do anything. But I wanted you to know it was out there.” 

“Can I think about it?” Darcy asked feeling overwhelmed by the very idea, adding as an afterthought, “I probably need to read this over.”

“Definitely think about it,” Pepper encouraged her, adding, “If you have any questions we can set up an appointment with legal. Marketing sent them a copy as soon as they got the offer.”

“Marketing’s involved?” Darcy asked skeptically, her giddiness suddenly curtailed.

“Yes. But everything goes through me for now. If you go through with this we’ll need to transition you over to them,” Pepper carefully explained, adding reassuringly, “John Jacobs, the VP of Marketing is excellent. He’ll handle everything. Although, I’ll definitely be briefed.” 

“I guess this is their area isn’t it?” Darcy said hesitantly, looking down at the file. She shook her head, trying to brush aside her concern saying, “I’m sure it will be fine, I’m just a little gun shy.”

“John will take care of you,” Pepper assured her. “And, if you’re at all uncomfortable I want you to come to me immediately. But for now – read the contract. And, talk to Tony. He might have some insights as well.”

“I still can’t believe Revlon is asking me to be a model. That’s just crazy,” Darcy exclaimed.

“I’m not surprised,” Pepper said adamantly. “Being Tony’s daughter gives you notoriety but you’re fresh and interesting. Not many young women are getting masters in engineering. The whole fairy tale of it all helps too, of course. But Darcy, you’re very pretty. Revlon knows a good thing when they see it,” Pepper explained with certainty. 

Darcy smiled bashfully and said, “Thank you. This just completely out of left field, you know?” 

Pepper nodded understandingly and said, “It will take some time for everything to sink in. But in the meantime enjoy your weekend. The weather is supposed to be warm. Get outside for some fresh air.”

“I plan to. And, I’m going to take Jane with me, even if she’s kicking and screaming,” Darcy said brightly. 

Pepper shot her an appreciative look saying, “You sound like me when I make Tony leave the labs. I had a workshop installed at the Hamptons, as a bribe. You could always take Jane’s telescope with you if it will get her to actually leave the house.”

Darcy wryly commiserated saying, “That’s not a bad idea. I might have to remember that. Though this weekend we’re both going to be working, so she’s getting off easy.”

“Well, do something besides work. Use the Jacuzzi or the bowling alley. Just make sure you take a break,” Pepper said insistently as she returned to the work on her desk.

“Oh, I plan on using the Jacuzzi. And, even Jane likes bowling. It’ll just be nice to get out of the tower for a while,” Darcy said as she began to stand, recognizing her time with the CEO was coming to an end. She hesitated by the desk before saying, “Thanks, Pepper. I appreciate you doing all of this for me.”

“I’m happy to,” Pepper assured her adding decisively, “Just let me know when or if you want to move forward.”

 

Returning to the labs Darcy was flummoxed. Never in her wildest dreams had Darcy ever thought she’d become a model. She wasn’t tall enough. And, after her foray into high fashion a few weeks ago Darcy had officially resigned herself to never entering the fashion world. Now though, a fortune 500 company was offering her a modeling contract. Settling at her desk Darcy began to read through the contract with anticipation and what she found was just as startling as the idea of becoming a model. 

“Jane?” Darcy said, her voice increasing in pitch at her distress.

“Uh-hu,” Jane hummed out in acknowledgment.

“Jane? Seriously. You’re not going to believe this,” Darcy said excitedly, glancing up at her and back down at the contract, not quite trusting what she was reading.

“What?” Jane asked, still not paying attention.

“Revlon wants to pay me five hundred thousand dollars to be a model,” Darcy said in amazement, a short slightly hysterical laugh breaking through her voice.

“That’s nice – what?” Jane said, suddenly looking up from her desk and over at Darcy disconcerted.

“Pepper just gave me a contract from Revlon. They want to pay me five hundred thousand dollars to be a model. The contract is for a year and it can be renewed for more,” Darcy rushed to explain in astonishment. 

“Five hundred thousand dollars?” Jane repeated weakly.

Stunned Darcy nodded looking down at the contract in her hand and back up at Jane saying in wonder, “Five hundred thousand dollars. Do you know what I could do with five hundred thousand dollars? I could pay off my student loans! I could – I don’t even know what I would do with that kind of money.”

“That’s insane,” Jane said shocked. “Don’t get me wrong Darcy but why would they pay you that much money?”

Darcy laughed at Jane’s bewilderment and said incredulously, “I guess people really like me? I mean, I sort of knew people were interested otherwise the paparazzi wouldn’t be stalking me. But I guess my lipstick is a thing? Revlon wants to build a campaign to figure out which shade of red I wear. Apparently, there are online polls and everything.”

“You’re kidding,” Jane said surprised.

“I know. Crazy, right? I haven’t been paying attention to anything online at all. I’ve been busy with my thesis,” Darcy said, trying to explain how and why this development had passed her by. “Pepper says I’m the right demographic for Revlon’s marketing and beauty blogs are featuring my look and they’ve had a run on red lipstick because of me,” Darcy enthusiastically rambled. 

“Wow,” Jane said stunned, not quite sure how to respond. Rallying she asked, “Are you going to do it? That’s an awfully lot of money Darcy.”

“Are you kidding?! Of course, I’m doing it!” Darcy declared thrilled. “From what I can see they want to take my picture and have me do a commercial. And, I’d need to give some interviews to promote the product. I can do that,” she said assuredly. 

“Oh my god, Darcy,” Jane said incredulously.

Darcy agreed laughing excitedly, “I know. It’s crazy. I’m going to be a model! And they’re paying me a ton of money!”

For a moment the pair grinned at one another in disbelief before Jarvis interrupted saying, “Miss Lewis, you asked me to notify you when you were to meet security in the garage. You are expected within the next fifteen minutes.”

Returning the contract to the file Darcy shook her head still flabbergasted by the unexpected development. Smiling in wonder as she glanced over at Jane and asked lightheartedly, “Are you ready to go? Make sure you have your chargers.”

“Yeah, everything I need is in here,” Jane said, stuffing her laptop into a backpack. 

Gathering their duffle bags and her backpack Darcy headed toward the door saying, “I can’t wait to get out of here. Just to be able to see something different will be nice, you know?”

Jane followed after her saying, “I will deny saying this, but I was getting a little stir crazy too. We need to get out of the lab more.”

“Ah-ha!” Darcy cried triumphantly. “See, even you were starting to feel claustrophobic after all this time in one room.”

“Yeah, yeah. Enjoy this. I’m never admitting it again,” Jane grumbled.


	23. The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy learns being Tony Stark's daughter includes some big pros and cons. Tony learns truly being a father means sacrifice and putting your child first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to thestancyg for the multiple beta reads and your generous assistance in generating story ideas. It cannot be stressed enough that this story improved substantially due to your input.
> 
> Thank you all who have read this story. I never planned on it being this long or involved. I definitely didn't expect the response I received. It's been a lot of fun! Thank you! 
> 
> An epilogue is planned but this is the end!

After a weekend away Darcy and Jane returned to the lab Monday morning, refreshed and ready to get to work. Darcy had even managed to avoid the paparazzi the entire weekend, so for once, there had been no incidents. She and Jane had run around on the beach enjoying the fresh warm spring breeze off the ocean and collected seashells. Taking a dip in the jacuzzi and bowling in the basement of the beach house had rounded out the weekend. Darcy had gotten a lot of work done and Tony had been right, she had barely known her security guys were there. She had finished with her second round of rewrites of her thesis and was nervously considering asking Tony to read it as she wanted plenty of time to incorporate his notes. Darcy just wasn’t confident it was in good enough shape yet to make such a request.  


Reinvigorated by her getaway Darcy decided to once again implement her Let’s Make a Deal plan with the paparazzi and hoped for the best. Each day she braved the barricades and answered three questions, put up with being followed and finally at the end of the second-week photographers stopped following her. Her gambit had paid off. 

In the meantime, Darcy kept a closer eye on social a media and was surprised to find out how often she was featured on gossip sites and beauty blogs. It boggled the mind with what they came up with to feature on the gossip sites. Her look had been dissected and analyzed countless times. Apparently, most stylists thought she could put a little more effort into her appearance but generally described her as a Betty Boop / girl next door type. Darcy actually liked that assessment. Besides which, the public seemed to appreciate her girl next door appearance. There was apparently a ‘Darcy watch’ following on Twitter. People actually paid attention to what she wore while she was getting coffee. They also liked the idea that she worked as an intern, fetching coffee for others even though she was Tony Stark’s daughter. Apparently, it made her relatable. While the interest made her feel self-conscience, she also felt vindicated. Cynthia had been wrong. Darcy didn’t have to dress or act a certain way to go out in public. According to the public, she was fine just the way she was.

As the weather warmed, Darcy forwent her winter coat, leading Old Navy to feature the sweaters she wore on their Twitter page. They pointed out while they were from previous seasons the sweaters were still in good shape and if they were good enough for Darcy - the Stark heir, weren’t Old Navy sweaters good enough for everyone? As the campaign gained traction Tony had some concerns.

“Old Navy is making the most of your sweaters. They’ve repeatedly featured you. We need to get legal on that,” Tony said swiping through his phone as he leaned casually against the counter across from Darcy’s desk.

“What? Why would we call legal?” Darcy asked perplexed as she marked the page of a journal she was using. 

“They’re using your image without your permission. They’ve explicitly said you endorse their sweaters,” Tony explained adding in mild disbelief, “Actually, I’m surprised. They should know better. I’d shut it down ASAP and sue.” 

“You sue if someone uses your picture?” Darcy asked in surprise.

“My image, my name they’re all trademarked. No one can use it but me. I don’t endorse any business or product that isn’t Stark Industries,” Tony explained matter of fact. Elaborating he added, “Sometimes I’ll let a charity use a picture of Iron Man. I own copyright to it too. We might need to take steps to protect you since you’re becoming a media darling.”

Darcy contemplated her books before saying thoughtfully, “I guess I didn’t think it was that big a deal.” She frowned asking questioningly, “Do we really need to trademark my name? That seems excessive.”

“We’ll get legal on it. They’ll figure it out,” Tony assured her, adding unconcerned, “In the meantime, they’ll get a hold of Old Navy. I have a feeling they have a marketing person who doesn’t understand it’s an invasion of privacy to use your image without your permission. If they only did it once I’d let it go but it’s been pretty consistent.” 

“Alright, if you say so,” Darcy easily conceded unbothered. “I guess I could wear something else,” she suggested. 

“You shouldn’t have to,” Tony stated adamantly, “They should know better than to use your image to market their product. Besides, chances are you’re being featured in enough fashion blogs, their getting enough free publicity as it is,” Tony argued indignantly.

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Darcy said admitted.

“I’ll have Jarvis mention it to Hanson. He’ll get someone on it,” Tony offered with an unconcerned shrug. 

“Alright,” Darcy readily agreed. Pulling out some menus she said, “What do you want for lunch? I was thinking we should do chef salads today. We’ve been eating a lot of Chinese.” 

Darcy wasn’t too concerned about Old Navy using her picture on Twitter. She liked her sweaters and if other people bought one because of her, it didn’t really bother her. Darcy understood what Tony was saying about it being a violation of privacy for the company to use her picture but at this point, it didn’t really faze her. She was becoming accustomed to having her picture taken and seeing them pop up online. While it was still odd, it no longer disturbed her the way it had initially. Darcy had come to accept that if she wore something, someone online would comment on it. Somewhere along the way she had decided as long as she was comfortable in what she was wearing she really couldn’t do anything about what someone else might think or do. It was an unnerving conclusion to come to but one she was certain she needed to make.

 

********

 

In the meantime, Darcy met with the legal department to discuss her civil battery case. She indignantly insisted she had not thrown the coffee and they assured her they believed her. However, they counseled Darcy that the case would not fall in her favor even with video clearly showing she had been jostled multiple times before the coffee was finally knocked from her hands. The video also clearly showed the photographer immediately in front of her had taken the brunt of the spill and that his camera had been soaked in coffee. 

The lawyers explained Darcy could be held responsible even if she hadn’t intended to spill the coffee because harm had occurred. All the plaintiff would have to show is that he suffered damages. In this instance, the damage included ruined photography equipment and loss of income due to destroyed property. While they could argue the photography equipment hadn’t been irretrievably damaged and his loss of income wasn’t substantial it would be an uphill battle because of who she was. 

Essentially, because she was Tony Stark’s daughter she would be expected to pay damages even if any reasonable person could view the video and see she had not intentionally spilled the coffee. Intention simply didn’t matter as some harm had occurred. Mr. Hanson strongly urged her to agree to a settlement, advising her that no jury would find in her favor and would probably award the plaintiff an exorbitant sum simply based on who she was. He also pointed out that the press surrounding the lawsuit would be a nightmare and that settling would be the only way to keep it out of the news. 

The plaintiff had asked for a million dollars and Mr. Hanson explained they were hoping he would settle for a hundred thousand but that was no guarantee as the photographer could hold out for more. Legal based that number on the potential amount a jury would award versus the time and effort the plaintiff would need to actually bring the case to trial. A case like this could conceivably take years to come to trial and the legal division would do everything it could to swamp the plaintiff with demands and delays; which would cause opposing counsel’s expenses to skyrocket. Mr. Hanson hoped the plaintiff’s attorney would advise their client to accept the settlement offer. 

Furious, Darcy left the legal department incensed that she had little recourse. Simply because she supposedly had money she was expected to settle the lawsuit. Tony found her at her desk fuming when he stopped by for lunch.

“So, I heard. Hanson recommended you settle?” Tony said crossing his arms as he leaned against the counter across from Darcy and watched her slam books around on her desk, apparently cleaning.

“Yes,” Darcy said grumpily, adding indignantly, “I can’t believe it. I did not throw that coffee. The video clearly shows it was totally not my fault. It was knocked out of my hands. Anyone with common sense would agree.”

“Yeah, but do you really want to go to court to prove it?” Tony asked dubiously. “Chances are a jury would still hold you accountable and award the guy a ridiculous amount of money. It would simplify things if you just had him sign a non-disclosure agreement and settle,” he explained matter of fact.

“Maybe, but spilled coffee is not worth a million dollars. It wasn’t even all that hot,” Darcy vehemently protested, stabbing a pen into a cup holder. “Besides, where am I going to get that kind of money? Legal said they hoped they could settle the case for a hundred thousand dollars. Hoped!?” Darcy said indignantly, horrified to even consider she could end up paying more. Abruptly she stopped cleaning her desk and slowly slouched dejectedly in her seat saying in thoughtful resignation, “I guess the money I’m going to get from Revlon would cover it.” She shook her head and straightening said angrily, “It’s just so unfair. If it happened even the day before the news broke that you were my dad, the guy wouldn’t be suing.” 

“No, he wouldn’t be,” Tony agreed with a shrug. “But Darcy, I have a legal fund specifically for this sort of thing. It will take care of the settlement,” he explained nonchalantly. 

Pausing in wiping down her desk Darcy objected saying indignantly, “Tony, that’s your money.” 

Tony sighed in frustration and pushing away from the counter he said insistently, “Ok, we need to talk about the black and white idea you have about money. Yes, it’s mine. But because it’s mine I get to say how I want to use it.” He continued, pointing at her saying, “And, you are my daughter. I don’t know much about being a dad but I’m certain part of the job is taking care of you.” Darcy opened her mouth to protest which caused Tony to hold up his hand to stop her and say forcefully, “Ah-ah! Taking care of you includes dealing with ludicrous lawsuits. I have more money than I know what to do with. You are specifically being sued because of that. No one cares, except you, that the money isn’t in your name. If it needs to be – I can fix that too.” Crossing his arms decisively he finished saying unwaveringly, “You are my daughter. One way or another my money is part of your life. You need to make peace with that.” 

Stunned by most of what Tony had just said Darcy stared at him in silence for a moment before saying incredulously, “Ok, Wow. I have no idea what to say to most of that.” 

“Say yes, and let my legal fund take care of the settlement,” Tony suggested hopefully.

Darcy shook her head saying determinedly, “I’ll have the money once I sign the deal with Revlon.”

“But do you really want to spend it on something like this?” Tony contested. “If you let me take care of it, it’ll be out of your hair tomorrow. Just get it over with so you can get on with your life. Look at how much time this is taking where you could be spending your time doing something else,” he pointed out, aggravated she wasn’t seeing things his way. 

“A few weeks won’t make any difference,” Darcy argued. 

Leaning back against the counter dejectedly, with his arms crossed, Tony sighed resignedly and asked rhetorically, “I’m going to need to be really clear about this, aren’t I?” He paused for a moment before gesturing broadly to encompass everything around him and said adamantly, “All of this? It’s yours. Just as much as it’s mine. OK, no – my lab is mine. You can’t have it. Except maybe Dum- E - on his bad days. But, otherwise what’s mine, is yours.” Tony had given how he was going to approach the topic of his money with Darcy a lot of thought. This was not at all how he planned to do it, but he thought he was at least making his point. 

Taken back by Tony’s declaration Darcy chided him softly in protest, “Tony.” 

“Just let me take care of it,” Tony pleaded. 

“It’s not right,” Darcy objected, shaking her head.

“What’s not right? A father helping with legal stuff?” Tony questioned becoming irritated. “From what I hear most 21-year-olds are moving into their parent's basements. They’re obviously getting help with bills. Yours just happens to be in line with the amount of money I make,” Tony said flippantly.

Darcy scowled and said resolutely, “I’ve been taking care of myself since I was 16. I’m not about to let you take care of me now.” 

“I get that,” Tony admitted. “But, I just want to take care of this lawsuit. Let me do this. As your father. Let me make it go away. You don’t need to worry about it,” Tony implored. 

Darcy furiously scrubbed her desk in agitation. Abruptly she stopped and after a moment’s consideration said firmly, “If you pay for this you’ll keep paying for things. And, since I will actually have the money, I’m taking care of it.” Resolved Darcy frowned in consternation and said decisively, “Tony, I understand that you think you have a responsibility as my father to take care of me. But this is not your responsibility. I’m an adult. I need to do this.” 

Tony was silent for a moment, trying to evaluate Darcy’s level of certainty. Seeing she was set on her decision and that the matter was closed, Tony crossed his arms and hung his head in defeat for a moment before looking up and saying worriedly, “You do know you don’t have to do everything on your own anymore. You get that, right?”

Darcy’s posture relaxed as she realized he was conceding the argument. Trying to reassure him she said, “Yes. I do. And thank you. For offering. For being so willing to help me.” “And, Tony you are a good father. You don’t need to pay this to prove that. But you do need to let me take care of myself as I see fit,” Darcy gently contended, wishing she could somehow soften her refusal as she could see he was taking it hard.

Resigned Tony quietly acquiesced saying, “Ok.” He added dejectedly, “I don’t like it, but I can respect it.” He calmed sensing, that despite her protest, Darcy did trust him and that she knew he had nothing but good intentions. 

Darcy shot him a small appreciative smile and said warmly, “Good.” Sitting forward she picked up her tablet and hoping they could move on said, “Now, are you still up for reading my second thesis because I just finished my third draft and I think I’m at a place where getting some feedback would be helpful.”

Tony immediately perked up saying, “Yeah. Sure. I’ve been wondering when you were going to ask. You haven’t said much about your topic.”

“I’m focusing on advances in digital circuits,” Darcy explained, gesturing to her tablet.

“Excellent, I’ve been working on new circuit design for the suit, I might be able to give you some new insights,” Tony said enthusiastically. Taking her tablet he said excitedly, “Let me look at this while we eat lunch.” 

Glad that Tony had let their argument go and had so willingly jumped into helping her with her thesis, Darcy sat back in her chair in relief. She hadn’t expected their argument to be quite so intense. While touched by Tony’s insistence that he help, Darcy was heartened that he had also accepted her final say on the matter. She didn’t want to set a precedent of Tony paying her bills. Tuition was one thing she would concede in his favor. Darcy could actually see his argument. She recognized it was important to Tony to be able to demonstrate he was a good father. But the legal settlement was an entirely different situation and since she would ultimately have the money to take care of it, she needed to do so. 

 

*********

 

In the midst of writing her thesis and worrying about the infuriating lawsuit Darcy finally had a meeting with Revlon. She excitedly got ready with nerves fluttering in her stomach, grateful for the new clothes in her closet. Darcy chose to wear her light blue suit because she actually did like it and because her journey began the day she wore it with her red lipstick. Darcy momentarily thought of Cynthia and her disapproval of her makeup choice that day. She had come a long way since then. Cynthia’s opinion about how Darcy should present herself had proven over time to be unfounded. Darcy, as she was, had been embraced by both the public and the press. As such, she puckered up and confidently applied her bright red lipstick.

Coming back from her meeting with Revlon Darcy excitedly blew into the lab saying, “You are not going to believe this! Revlon wants to style me as a pinup girl!”

Looking up from her computer Jane grinned saying enthusiastically, “That’s perfect for you.” 

Giddy, Darcy dropped into her chair saying animatedly, “I know. Right?” Pulling out her phone she began to swipe through it saying eagerly, “They want me to find a bunch of old pictures, too. Their idea is to show how I’ve always worn the same color red and that it’s a classic look. Then they’re going to tie it into the whole 40’s look when everyone wore red lipstick.”

“That’s the perfect era for you, too,” Jane observed as she rolled her chair over to Darcy’s desk. Pulling out her phone she said, “So you need pictures of you wearing your lipstick, right?”

“Yeah, any you think are good let me see,” Darcy said as she swiped through her phone, adding, “We’ll send them to Revlon. They’ll pick which ones they want to use in the campaign.” 

“Here’s a good one,” Jane said, handing her phone to Darcy to look at the picture.

“Yeah, that’s not bad. God, that seems like ages ago. I had only been in New Mexico about a month when that was taken,” Darcy said considering the picture. 

Jane took back her phone saying thoughtfully, “I like the idea of them using older pictures of you. It means they aren’t planning on changing anything about you.” “When you told me about this I have to admit I sort of worried about what they might do,” Jane admitted.

“Yeah, I know. I did too,” Darcy confessed. “But the campaign manager seems pretty cool. She totally gets that I’m not some model type. She even said they want it to be a body positive campaign. Which I guess means they lean into the fact I’m not built like a traditional model,” she explained enthusiastically. 

“Good, because you’re beautiful just the way you are,” Jane declared. 

“Ah, Janey. Don’t get all mushy on me,” Darcy teased good-naturedly, touched at the scientist’s proclamation. 

“I’m not getting mushy, I just think society has too narrow a view of what beauty is. It’s time that companies like Revlon recognize that,” Jane stated firmly. 

“Oh, I agree. I think it’s great they’re acknowledging that I don’t have the normal model look. She laughed for a moment saying incredulously, “With the way I dress and look, if anyone had told me I was going to be a model or start a trend I would have told them they were crazy.” 

“I’m not surprised Darcy,” Jane admonished her, adding resolutely, “You have your own unique look, which I think is what people respond to. They get that you’re just you.” 

Not expecting the scientist to be that observant Darcy was mildly surprised by Jane’s assessment and said gratefully, “Thank you.” She happily confided, “One thing I’m sort of excited about is the whole 40’s pin-up girl look. They were even talking about using seam stockings. I’ve always loved that look.” 

“Well, it would go with the whole classic theme they said they want to go with. Seam stockings and red lipstick are very 40’s,” Jane observed.

“One thing I’m not sure about,” Darcy confessed contemplatively. “They want to do the fashion shoot with the Lamborghini. They said it would demonstrate how far I’ve come all while wearing my lipstick. Which, I’m not sure about. Though, I have to admit it is the perfect color red.”

“You can still say no, right? You don’t have to use the car if you don’t want to?” Jane asked concerned. 

“Yeah. Nothing is set in stone yet,” Darcy responded unconcerned, continuing to swipe through her phone. “I told them I’d think about it. I mean, I love the car but I don’t know if I want it to represent who I am now. Because it’s not. It was a gift from Tony. I didn’t actually have anything to do with it,” she explained thoughtfully. Darcy wasn’t really sure why but including the car in the shoot bothered her. It didn’t feel authentic if she were trying to present herself as unchanged and maintain her girl next door vibe. 

“I get that,” Jane said thoughtfully. Glancing around she smirked and said, “They could always take your picture here welding if they want the real you. Though I don’t know if you in your leather apron and goggles are quite the look they’re going for.”

“Ha. No. I don’t think so,” Darcy said good-naturedly.

“Just don’t do anything you’ll be uncomfortable with. If you don’t want to use the car, don’t,” Jane advised as she held up her phone for Darcy to look at a picture she had found. 

Darcy considered some more pictures as she said, “I need to think about it. I might talk to Tony and Pepper and see what they have to say.”  


“Good idea,” Jane agreed. 

“I hate to say this but one of the best things about all this is the money. I’ll be able to pay off my student loans,” Darcy said incredulously. 

“I thought it would take years. Decades even. And now I’ll be able to pay them off with one check. It doesn’t feel real,” she said with a disbelieving laugh. 

“I think it’s great. I know when I paid off my student loans it was such a relief. I mean, I was sad too because I had to sell my dad’s house after the estate closed but to not have them hanging over my head anymore felt amazing,” Jane said enthused. 

“I’m looking forward to that believe me. The only thing is I’m pissed I have to use some of the money for the lawsuit. I still want to take it to court to prove I didn’t throw that coffee,” Darcy said indignantly, clearly still perturbed. 

“You need to let that go,” Jane advised with a patient smile, adding understandingly, “I’d be pissed to if I were you. I wouldn’t want to pay that guy either.” Lowering her phone she looked at Darcy seriously and observed, “But you know if you took the case to court you’d be crucified. You’d end up paying him even more money. I hate to say it but it’s part of the price you pay for being Tony Stark’s daughter. Look at it this way, if you weren’t Tony’s daughter you wouldn’t have a deal with Revlon either.”

“I know. You’re right,” Darcy conceded with a sigh, only to rally and say petulantly, “But still. I did not throw that coffee.”

“You’re so not going to let that go, are you?” Jane asked flatly.

“No, probably not,” Darcy admitted, not even a little bit apologetic. 

 

*********

 

Tony had just gotten a fresh cup of coffee and was sitting at his desk to review some new circuit designs, thinking he needed to show them to Darcy. Surrounded by holographs he didn’t immediately notice when Natasha Romanoff strolled into the workshop. Once she caught his eye Tony sat back from his desk with a sigh and glanced over at a camera in the corner saying reproachfully, “Jarvis? We had this conversation, remember? You were going to notify me when someone was coming to the lab?”

“We did indeed, sir,” Jarvis said.

“Oh, don’t blame Jarvis. We have an understanding. I only ever visit if I come bearing good news,” Natasha chided as she pulled herself up on a counter across from him.

“You have good news?” Tony asked skeptically. “What could you possibly have to tell me after everything SHIELD has done? Actually, I am surprised you’re here. I thought I’d seen the last of SHIELD after the way I left things with Fury. How is the old pirate, anyway?” Tony rambled as he picked a screwdriver to fidget with, annoyed to have to stop working to deal with the agent. 

“SHIELD has a vested interest in you and Stark Industries. That has never changed. Your relationship with us might have, but our relationship with you is something that will continue regardless of your opinion of us,” Natasha placidly explained, unbothered with his rancor. 

“That doesn’t make sense, you know that right? I’m done with SHIELD. The only relationship I have with SHIELD is through legal. You can go talk to them about contracts if you want. That’s the extent of our relationship,” Tony said resolved, turning in his back on her to swipe through the air at the circuits glowing up on the holograph. 

“That’s fine. If that’s what you want,” the agent said indifferently, clearly not disturbed by his dismissal. She looked at him intently and said, “But I have something for you. Something that I think you will want. Something that might give you a great deal of satisfaction.”

“I can’t imagine what it could be. Though at this point I shouldn’t be surprised. What, do I have a son you’ve been hiding too?” Tony asked incredulously, glancing at her in annoyance. 

“I have proof that a former Stark Industries PR rep sold a story to TMZ, thus breaking her nondisclosure agreements,” Natasha said nonchalantly. 

Tony paused and turning toward Natasha he considered her for a moment before saying skeptically, “How? They’d never admit it.”

“Natalie Rushman has been working at TMZ for the past month as an executive assistant to their editor,” the agent informed him slightly smug.

“Really?” Tony responded, suddenly giving the agent his complete attention. 

“Yes. She also had access to their legal files. Administration is so poorly run,” Natasha tsked. 

“You don’t say. So did she actually get a copy of the contract?” Tony asked, happy to return to their little game of talking about the agent’s character. 

“Signed, dated and notarized. They paid the rep ten grand for the story,” Natasha shared. 

“Ten grand?” Tony repeated incredulously, surprised it wasn’t more. 

Natasha smirked and said, “Not really a lot considering you’re going to sue her into the ground for it.”

Tony shrugged noncommittally and crossing his arms considered the agent in consternation saying, “So this is blackmail? SHIELD will give me the contract, if what? I renegotiate the contracts legal has been working on?”

Natasha quietly regarded Tony for a moment before saying solemnly, “No. We’re simply providing you with information. What you do next is up to you. As I said, SHIELD’s relationship with you hasn’t changed.” She conceded with a small patient smile, “Yes, we need Stark Industries. But we also need Tony Stark and Iron Man.” She added solicitously, “Someone injured you and we protect our people as best we can. Whether you want to claim us or not, is up to you. But, we do claim you, Tony. So no, there are no strings attached to this information. And, I wouldn’t be here if there were.”

“Uh,” Tony grunted. Disconcerted he frowned and asked skeptically, “So Fury is doing this out of the goodness of his heart? I have a hard time believing that.”

Natasha nodded in understanding saying, “Believe what you want. It’s up to you to decide what you want to do with the information. It’s a signed, notarized copy of the contract. It should hold up in court. TMZ will flip on their source as soon as you serve them papers.” Considering Tony for a moment the agent smiled at him gently and said, “Tony, SHIELD really does want the best for you.”  
“You believe that?” Tony asked suspiciously.

“I do,” Natasha said with certainty as she slid off the counter. Pulling a manila folder out of her jacket she set it on the edge of his desk with an understanding nod. Gracing Tony with a small affectionate smile she sauntered out of the workshop leaving him starring from the folder to her retreating back not sure what to think.

Curious Tony picked up the file to find a contract clearly showing that Cynthia Cartwright had entered into an agreement with TMZ. It documented exactly what she had told them. Tony had everything he’d need to sue her for breach of her non-disclosure agreements.

 

**********

 

Busy working on circuit designs Tony only just registered Jarvis’ announcement that Bruce was on the way up to the workshop. He was focused on the holograph before him and barely glanced in the man’s direction when he came into the room.

“Tony? I have the test results back,” Bruce said apprehensively as he slowly walked across the workshop.

“Oh good,” Tony responded distractedly, not looking away from the holograph before him. 

Bruce shifted nervously as he came to a stop at the engineer’s side and said hesitantly, “I think you’re going to want to see them.”

“Huh?” Tony grunted in mild surprise, still not really paying attention. 

“I ran the panel three times,” Bruce said anxiously, as he looked down at the document he was holding and fiddled with his glasses as he uncertainly stepped a little closer.

Tony frowned, hardly paying attention as he was still focused on the holograph and asked distractedly, “Why would you need to run it three times?” 

“They didn’t come out right,” Bruce explained worriedly. 

“They didn’t come out right?” Tony repeated not understanding.

“SHIELD said they got a positive paternity test for you and Darcy?” Bruce asked skeptically.

Tony turned on his stool to face Bruce and gave him his undivided attention saying, “Yes.” 

Nodding awkwardly Bruce pushed up his glasses and said with a troubled frown, “I didn’t.” He offered hesitantly, “It’s possible the samples were contaminated.”

“Bruce, what are you saying?” Tony asked cautiously, not liking where the conversation was going.

“I’m saying I ran the paternity test three times and they all came back negative,” Bruce clarified holding out the document he was carrying.

Tony froze. He starred at the doctor blankly for a brief second before saying in disbelief, “That’s not possible.”

“I know,” Bruce nodded in agreement, shifting uncomfortably he added worriedly, “That’s why I need to run it again but I need another sample from each of you.” 

“You ran the test three times?” Tony asked quickly.

“Yes.” 

“And you got a negative result each time?”

“Yes.” 

“Yeah, don’t run it again. And destroy the results,” Tony directed decisively. 

“What?” Bruce asked in surprise, eyes wide in disbelief.

Tony stilled, seemingly in contemplation and then quickly nodded to himself. He straightened and directing his full attention at the doctor declared, “You heard me. Bruce, you verified SHIELD’s results. Darcy is my daughter.” Tony knew in the split second that he understood what Bruce was telling him that he had already made up his mind that it didn’t matter. He had claimed Darcy as his daughter. Tony paused only to give Darcy’s response thought, considering how she’d react to the unexpected news. He quickly resolved to never tell her. She too had claimed him as her father. He suspected that abruptly ending the relationship would destroy a part of her, which he could never allow. Certain that a good father would protect their child from such devastating news he was determined she would never know. 

Bruce stopped fidgeting and scanned Tony’s face, trying to understand. After a moment he looked down at the paper in his hands and nodding in acknowledgment, slowly said, “Ok. If that’s what you want.”

Tony nodded sharply saying decisively, “It’s what I want. Darcy Lewis is my daughter. SHIELD says so. They’re super-secret spies that know all the secrets. They must know if they got a positive test.” As much as Tony distrusted SHIELD he was still fairly certain they hadn’t purposely lied about Darcy being his daughter. They had nothing to gain from the relationship and if anything they had suffered negative consequences since the information had come to light. Resolved to claim Darcy as his daughter, Tony saw no point in further challenging their test results. 

Bruce looked at Tony for a long moment before hesitantly saying, “Ok, I’ll – I’ll take care of it.” 

“Great,” Tony said before he abruptly turned back to the holograph before him, clearly done with the matter.

Bruce hesitantly turned and slowly walked toward the door. Pausing at the lab entrance he stopped uncertainly and looking at the inventor he timidly said, “Hey Tony? 

“Yeah?” Tony looked over to him questioningly.

Bruce smiled ruefully and said kindly, “Did I ever congratulate you on being a dad? Darcy’s a wonderful girl.”

Tony grinned brightly and said, “She really is, isn’t she?”


End file.
